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Thursday, 05 Jan, 2012
Report on the National Strategy for Palliative Care
Healthcare systems worldwide invariably begin with medical services to look after the sick, then preventive care services to prevent illness and promote health. As society matures, long term and end of life care becomes the next area of focus. Even as Singapore’s population ages and prevalence of chronic diseases increase, rising societal expectations with regards to choices and preferences at the end of life create demands for palliative care services that address the needs.
The Lien Centre for Palliative Care (LCPC), Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, was commissioned by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to formulate a National Strategy for Palliative Care in consultation with key stakeholders in the health care system. A Workgroup was appointed, comprising of health care professionals from restructured hospitals, hospices, home care, Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) and representatives from MOH. The terms of reference for the Workgroup for the National Strategy for Palliative Care included:
(a) Holistic detailing of the palliative care needs in Singapore including pain relief, symptom control, psycho-social support and addressing bereavement needs.
(b) Systematic review of previous and current palliative care services and an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the sector.
(c) Comparison of Singapore’s organisation of services with that of top-tier countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia.
(d) Recommendations and the attendant rationale for organisation of palliative care services in the various echelons of healthcare from home to hospital. The recommendations should have special emphasis on sustainability of service offerings and use of non-palliative care specialists and physician substitutes.
Findings and recommendations are summarised in this report.
Speech by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health - Official Opening of New Facilities at Dover Park Hospice
Related links
Ministry of Health, Singapore
Lien Foundation
Lien Centre for Palliative Care
Dover Park Hospice
Singapore Hospice Council