The specialised medical care helps people live their life as fully and as comfortably as possible when living with a life-limiting or terminal illness. Palliative care identifies and treats symptoms which may be physical, emotional, spiritual or social.

 

Speaking to The Citizen on Sunday, ORCI Executive Director Julius Mwaiselage said the cancer institute has already started to provide palliative care to cancer patients in an attempt to give them hope.

 

He noted that cancer is associated with psychological effects. Patients tend to lose hope of winning the battle against the disease.

 

Coordinator of non-communicable disease at the Ministry of Health Dr Sarah Maongezi said palliative care will be offered at both regional and districts hospitals across the country.

 

She noted that the Ministry is preparing a guideline on palliative care which will be adopted by both doctors and nurses. Cancer is a major public health problem in Tanzania. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that there were approximately 21,000 new cancer patients in Tanzania by 2002.

Source : allafrica.com