Awareness of palliative care needs to be cultivated from the beginning - Dr. Sim

KUCHING, Sept. 14: Awareness of palliative care needs to be cultivated in society to change the perception that it's just a place for patients to spend the last days of their lives.

Deputy Prime Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said the community should instead understand that palliative care emphasizes comfort, dignity and support to patients and families in the face of serious illness.

In fact, he said that exposure to the subject was appropriate given at an early age to form a value of compassion and empathy toward individuals facing the end of life.

"Bring the children and teach them to be compassionate, not fearful.

"If the doctor told you only had two days to live, what would you do? Have we ever thought about that?" he said.

He told the media after inaugurating Northbank Business Exchange (NBX) in Kuching on Monday.

In the meantime, Dr Sim also encouraged parents to bring their children to see for themselves how the care was provided to patients.

He said that the reality of end-of-life care should also be understood because not all patients have the ability or circumstances to receive care at home with their families.

He said that the existence of palliative care facilities provides another option for patients to receive appropriate treatment and support in a more comfortable environment.

He gave an example of a palliative care initiative in Batu Kawa which he said used private facilities but was managed with the placement of doctors and government nurses to care for public patients.

Dr Sim described the approach as one of the unique models in delivering palliative care, particularly to patients in the later stages of life.

The demand for the service is expected to continue to increase as about 30,000 individuals in Sarawak are projected to require palliative care by 2030.

Palliative care services are also expected to be part of the Sarawak Cancer Hospital ecosystem planned for the future.

Meanwhile, Dr Sim said the commitment of healthcare workers was among the key factors enabling the palliative care capacity at Batu Kawah to be increased from eight to 16 beds despite no increase in manpower.

He said that the support of patients' families also helps healthcare workers to handle larger capacities, thus allowing more patients access to the services.

For Dr. Sim, that reflects the importance of human factors in determining the quality of a health system.

He cited the achievements of Sarawak Heart Centre which is ranked amongst Asia Pacific's best specialty hospitals, with his success not only due to its physical facilities but also the value and commitment of its staff.

"It's about people and the values we build. That's why they stayed there. Otherwise, they could just go to private hospitals and earn higher incomes", he said.

Dr Sim said that competitive compensation remains essential to maintain a health workforce, but human values, dedication and a sense of responsibility are also the foundation for quality healthcare systems.

He said the matter also reinforced Sarawak's need for health autonomy to enable the state to have more space to address labour needs and its healthcare system.

"The federal government should give health autonomy to Sarawak", he said. -TVS