Page 26 - Sphere No.17 (Sep 2006)

Harbin
Tumor Hospital of Harbin
Medical University
Shenyang
Second Affiliated Hospital of
China Medical College
Dalian
First Affiliated Hospital of
Dalian Medical University
Beijing
Beijing Tiantan Hospital
Beijing Tumor Hospital
Tianjing
Tianjing
First Central
Hospital
Shanghai
Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to
Shanghai Second Medical University
Fuzhou
Fujian Provincial Hospital
Shantou
First Affiliated Hospital of the
Shantou University Medical College
Urumqi
Tumor Hospital of Xinjiang
Medical University
Zhanjiang
Guangdong Medical College
Affiliated Hospital
Lanzhou
First Affiliated Hospital of
Lanzhou Medical College
Chongqing
First Affiliated Hospital of
Chongqing University of
Medical Sciences
Nanning
First Affiliated Hospital of
Guangxi Medical University
Shenzhen
Shenzhen People’s Hospital
Chaozhou
Chaozhou Central Hospital
Shaoguan
Yuebei People’s
Hospital
24 SPHERE
relieves 90 per cent of the pain and costs $50, and another one
that relieves 99 per cent but costs $100, I would rather buy the
one that costs $100,” he said. “The most important thing is to
ease the patient’s pain as much as possible.”
He also makes it very clear that vehicles used to make house
calls must be washed regularly and
medical personnel making house calls
must project a lively, professional image
when serving their patients. His concern
for patients has had a profound effect
on medical staff. Instead of lab coats, a
number of doctors and nurses now take
casual wear when making house calls
because many families with terminally
ill relatives do not want the neighbour-
hood to know that there is an impending
death in the family.
Management of the hospices also re-
flects Mr Li’s entrepreneurial qualities.
All daily expenditures are logged into
Hospice Eye, an online monitoring
system, giving a clear picture of where the money is spent. The
system also includes other statistical data, such as records of
medication consumed by each patient, helping in the research
and development of palliative care.
More like-minded associates needed
Every year more than twomillion people in China develop cancer,
leading to more than 1.4 million deaths. Mr Li believes that 20
hospices definitely are not enough. He knows he cannot do this
alone, but he hopes that he has started the ball rolling and more
people in the community will be encouraged
to get involved. “If all of us do this together,
we can achieve a lot. Nothing great will be
achieved if I do this alone,” he said.
A pressing concern is the severe shortage
of hospice medical staff. Palliative care has yet
to develop into a full-fledged discipline on the
Mainland and getting the Ministry of Public
Health to recognise it as a legitimate field of
study is themost important task at hand.
With the support of the Li Ka Shing
Foundation, the National Hospice Care
Programme has benefited an increasing
number of patients since its launch five
years ago. However, demand still far out-
strips supply. If the programme can be
incorporated into the existing medical service network, more
policy and financial support will be forthcoming. The pro-
gramme will then gain greater influence in society and help the
development of hospice care on the Mainland.
Guangzhou
First Affiliated Hospital of
Jinan University Medical College
Nanchang
First Affiliated Hospital of
Jiangxi Medical College
Wuhan
Zhongnan Hospital of
Wuhan University
HOSPICE LOCATIONS UNDER
THE LI KA SHING FOUNDATION
NATIONAL HOSPICE CARE PROGRAMME