Palliative Care
86% of the world population do not have access to palliative care and many are unable to afford it. People therefore often die alone and abandoned by family members who are unable to afford the care needed or give the full time support required due to facing their own levels of poverty and hardship.
Esperence's Story
Esperence is a 65 year old woman diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma in September 2021. After undergoing chemotherapy with no improvement, she was later sent home for palliative care management, through which she received treatment for pain management at the nearest hospital.
“I was informed that my disease is incurable and that I would not be getting any new medication. Since then, I fell into depression and stopped going to the hospital, thinking that death could be soon.”
After being admitted into our Palliative Care Programme in June 2023, Esperence received a comprehensive holistic support package including psychological, spiritual and medical care support at home, as well as pain management. Her health insurance and special diet were also covered thanks to your support. As a result, she is now able to eat soft food and drink liquids at ease without any pain and is also psychologically stable.
Help mothers in difficult circumstances access healthcare without barriers >Why is Palliative Care so Important?
One of the most difficult things to face in life is to know that you are dying and that you do not have much time left. It is even more difficult if you are suffering in great pain, unable to move or help yourself. This is where palliative care comes in; to support and help people who are at the end of their life by providing care and relief in the most dignifying and manageable way. Palliative care is not about prolonging life, but it is about improving the quality of life left.
“I don't know if my niece would still be alive without your support. We were unable to support our child suffering with cancer.”
The Palliative Care Project In Action
Doctors Worldwide is working in Rwanda in collaboration with the one of the first community based palliative care organisations in the country, to help support the scale up and delivery of palliative care for dying and destitute patients who without this care, would die a lonely and painful death.
Doctors Worldwide has been supporting the community-based service, which has previously been running on a voluntary basis over the last 5+ years through a group of dedicated and committed volunteers and medical workers based in Rwanda. Our holistic approach means that we do not just look at the medical needs of a dying patient, but other important and dignifying needs such as a rehabilitating bathroom, providing shelter, psychosocial support, nutrition and transport to appointments.
To strengthen this community-based palliative care service, Doctors Worldwide is working with a team of experts, including a specialist in Palliative Medicine, to bring about low-cost, high impact results. Clinical audits are being introduced to benchmark the standard of care in the organisation. A two-tier triage process is being introduced for new and existing palliative care patients to ensure that the care provided is responsive to the needs of the patients. An End-of-Life-Care pathway is being introduced to allow terminally ill patients to die with dignity and on their own terms. Finally, a robust learning syllabus has been created for new volunteers in palliative care to effectively learn how to provide the best care possible for the organisation's patients.
In addition, we are:
- Providing long-term training support to 35 community based volunteer healthcare workers and medical personnel on palliative care subjects with the aim of building and sustaining a long-term palliative care service.
- Supporting families with healthcare through a holistic approach including medical insurance, transportation to hospital appointments, monthly food packages for patients and their families and educational support for dependent children of terminally ill patients. In addition, we also provide other important and dignifying needs where necessary, such as a rehabilitating bathroom, psychosocial support and shelter.
- Providing financial support for the local organisation to employ qualified nurses to work full time with all the patients and their families. Previously, community-based palliative care was only provided during the weekends as most volunteers work full time or have families to take care of. The provision of a full time specialist nurse has meant that many patients and their families no longer have to wait until the weekend to receive help especially when an emergency arises such as when medicines or food run out, therefore reducing an individual's suffering as a result.
- Delivering a variety of training to help the local organisation and their team continue to develop and provide palliative care in a holistic and impactful manner.
Our palliative care working group consists of Rwandan doctors and nurses, as well as UK healthcare workers who together work to build and develop the training aspect of the project and provide 1-1 mentoring to bring palliative care into the forefront of Rwandan community health. The collaboration between DWW and the local partner is also being supported by the Ministry of Health of Rwanda who has recently entered into an agreement to help support the programme over the next 5 years.
What Suffering Looks Like Without Palliative Care
Without palliative care, patients often live in severe, untreated pain and may develop bed sores and infections. Children are left watching a parent suffer without relief, while families are forced to make heartbreaking choices between buying food or paying for medicine.
With your support, pain can be properly controlled and dignified care provided in the comfort of the patient's home. Families receive financial assistance to meet their basic needs, including food, medication, and support for children's education. Emotional and spiritual care is also provided, ensuring that no patient or family faces this journey alone.
Why This Is Cost-Effective Care
Home-based palliative care can cost up to 60% less than prolonged hospital stays. Community volunteers help extend services to remote and underserved patients, while early pain management and regular medical follow-up reduce avoidable emergency hospital visits. This approach not only eases suffering but also ensures that limited resources create the greatest possible impact for patients and their families.
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