The South Moravian Region is working on various ways to improve the development of palliative care, with the establishment of a network of care providers, expansion of the available social and psychological support for families, and many others. The conceptual plan for the years 2022 to 2025 was approved by regional councillors at their meeting on February 17th. Photo credit: Freepik
Brno, Feb 21 (BD) – To accelerate the development of palliative care in the South Moravian Region, the regional government has set a series of goals, such as the the establishment of a network of palliative care providers, the possibility for patients with terminal conditions to choose the environment for the last period of their life, the availability of social and psychological support for families, and the creation of a regional coordinator for the development of palliative care. Regional councillors approved the package of measures for 2022-2025 at a meeting on February 17th.
According to the Regional Councillor for Health Jiří Kasala, the Concept for the Development of Palliative Care in the South Moravian Region is designed to make palliative care an integral part of the South Moravian health care system. “In view of the demographic development, the South Moravian Region expects that the need for palliative care will increase in the coming decades. Therefore, it is important to have a plan to develop this important service at the interface of health and social care, to ensure a dignified end of life for people with incurable, life-threatening diseases,” he said.
Incorporating palliative care into the system of health and social services is a necessary condition for effective care for terminally ill patients, both in terms of their quality of life and the quality of care, and from an economic perspective. “We want to enable people to spend the last days of their lives at home, in an environment that they know, where they can feel comfortable,” said Councillor for Social and Family Policy Jana Leitnerová. “That is why we put emphasis both on supporting palliative care in the home environment and on supporting palliative care in residential social services facilities. This involves training and support for staff and for primary carers who are looking after their relatives at home.”
“We can judge the values of the society we live in by how we treat the most vulnerable,” said South Moravian Governor Jan Grolich (KDU-CSL). “This is also why the South Moravian Region needs a quality concept for the development of palliative care. It is our duty to manage as best as we can the specific needs of people who are leaving this world – not only their physical needs, but also psychological and spiritual. And there are also the needs of their loved ones and all those who care for them. One of the components of quality care in this area is home hospice care, and the region recently approved CZK 14.5 million to support it. Every human life deserves respect, and the fact that it is coming to an end does not change that.”
