Palliative Care Initiative
Northern Province, Sri Lanka
Palliative Care Mobile Units
The Northern Province Palliative Care Initiative provides outpatient and in-home palliative care services to palliative patients in the Jaffna and Vavuniya Districts in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The program is driven by a partnership between Cancer Aid North and East in Jaffna (CANE), Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration (TWCC, an international charity), Tamil Canadian Walk, and International Medical Health Organization Canada (IMHO Canada).
The two physicians who completed training in Hyderabad are now leading the palliative care mobile units and also the palliative care outpatient clinics. Dr. S. Mathurahan leads the outpatient clinic at Vavuniya General Hospital, and also the mobile unit in Vavuniya District. Dr. C. Gowshigan leads the outpatient clinic at Tellippalai Base Hospital and also the mobile unit in Jaffna District. Both Dr. Gowshigan and Dr. Mathurahan work full-time hours at their respective hospitals, and work additional hours to serve the palliative care mobile units.
The mobile units started operating in February 2019 and they continue to operate today. The mobile units provide services to patients who are home bound and not able to visit the outpatient clinics. The outpatient clinics serve approximately 5-10 patients per week. The mobile units serve approximately 15-20 patients in their homes every week. Each mobile palliative care unit consists of: One Physician, One Van Driver, and Two Nursing Officers.
Our Partners
Cancer Aid North and East
Tamil Canadian Walk 2018
Background
The Need
During the 2017 Develop North East Conference hosted in Toronto by the Canadian Tamil Congress, palliative care was identified as a priority need in Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka.
In Northern Province alone, the number of patients living with physical disabilities and/or terminal illness requiring palliative care services was estimated at 4,000. Palliative Care is the care of patients whose diseases are not curable, and whose conditions will worsen over time.
Family and social structures in Northern Province were destroyed as a result of war. This combined with the migration of younger generations has left the community’s most vulnerable, poor, sick, and elderly citizens in a precarious situation
During the Conference, discussions between health care professionals and subject matter experts from both Ontario, Canada and Northern Province, Sri Lanka helped us understand the need, and also understand how we, as Tamil Canadians, can best address that need.
The Solution
We were introduced to Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration (TWCC), a non-profit Canadian organization that works with health care professionals in resource-constrained countries to reduce the burden of cancer and non-cancer palliative care.
TWCC has helped doctors in Nepal, India and other countries to build their own self-sufficient and sustainable palliative care systems.
From these introductions and discussions arose the Northern Province Palliative Care Initiative, a partnership between TWCC, Cancer Aid North and East (CANE), and International Medical Health Organization (IMHO) Canada.
In November 2017, TWCC sent an 8-person multi-national team to Northern Province to assist in developing a palliative care model for this post-war region.
The Resources
Thanks to the Tamil Canadian Walk in September 2018, just over $60,000 was raised to support the palliative care initiative. The funds raised from the Walk are used to cover the van rental and mileage costs, and also salaries for the employees of the palliative care mobile units. Expenses for the mobile units are estimated at $20,000 Canadian dollars for a calendar year.
From September 3 to October 13, 2018, two physicians and two nurses from Jaffna and Vavuniya Districts received comprehensive palliative care training at the MNJ Institute in Hyderabad, India. This was facilitated by Northern Province Palliative Care Initiative and sponsored by the Indo-American Cancer Association.
How You Can Help
