Almaty has opened its first palliative care unit for children with severe chronic and incurable diseases. Here, young patients will receive help managing symptoms, and their families will get medical and psychological support. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The unit operates on the basis of one of Almaty's clinical hospitals and is designed for children up to 18 years old. The first patients will be admitted in the coming days.
What is palliative care?
Palliative care is medical and psychological support for people with severe and incurable diseases. Its goal is not to cure the disease but to reduce pain, alleviate the patient's condition, and improve their quality of life. This care also includes support for family members.
Treatment is not discontinued. Palliative care can be provided simultaneously with therapy aimed at the underlying disease if necessary.
Treatment in the new unit
In the new unit, treatment will focus on alleviating the manifestations of the disease in the child. Consultations with specialists and psychological support are also provided.
A multidisciplinary team will work with the children. It will include pediatricians, intensive care specialists, oncohematologists, rehabilitation specialists, psychologists, and other experts.
Support for families
Palliative care is not only aimed at the child. Families of children with severe illnesses may also need psychological and practical support.
Therefore, the new unit provides conditions for parents to stay, as close to home as possible. This will allow them to be near their child during treatment and receive the necessary support from specialists.
Earlier, Kursiv Health spoke about the state of palliative care in Kazakhstan with Gulnara Kunirova, president of the Kazakhstan Palliative Care Association, director of the 'Together Against Cancer' foundation, and chief freelance specialist of the Kazakh Ministry of Health on palliative care.
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