Under Malaysia’s Movement Control Order (MCO), patients with serious life-limiting illnesses (such as cancer and organ failure) are encouraged to stay at home, to reduce their risk of being infected, and to free up resources in hospitals.
And what of these very ill patients and their families? What if the patient needs medical attention? Many of them are at a late phase of their illness and their lives. They may have many physical and emotional issues – pain, insomnia, breathlessness, uncertainty as to what lies ahead and perhaps much to say to loved ones. Who is supporting them in this very unusual times.
Hospis Malaysia’s nurses and doctors continue to meet the needs of these patients in the community during this restricted movement order. Despite initial challenges faced by them to travel to patients' homes due to the police roadblocks, our clinical team forged on to support our patients’ palliative care needs, ensuring that their pain and other symptoms are managed.
As we move into the 4th phase of the MCO, we hope you will spare some thought for our nurses and doctors who are treating our most vulnerable patients at home. Please share this video with people who matter to you. For knowledge is wasted if it is not shared.
Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) has been an avid supporter of palliative care in Malaysia. To date, YSD's support has enabled HM nurses to carry out a total of 60,928 home visits to support about 2,000 patients annually who were in need of palliative care services, most of whom were referred to HM by various government hospitals.
