Lelatisitswe urges compassion in communities

Assistant Minister of Health, Sethomo Lelatisitswe, has urged communities to embrace compassion, care for their fellow citizens, and support each other in living comfortably in a place they can call home.

Speaking during the commemoration of Hospice and Palliative Care Day in Kanye on Friday, he highlighted the significant work done by the Community Home Based Care (CHBC) programme. From March 2022 to March 2023, the programme assisted a total of 4,515 clients, including 1,028 who are bedridden, 1,306 homebound individuals, and 757 ambulant clients. The theme for the 2023 commemoration was, ‘Compassionate Communities: Together for Palliative Care’.

In 2020, Botswana recorded 1,109 cases of cancer, with 363 in men and 746 in women.

“Of the above registered cancer patients, 184 of them were on Palliative Care, of which 107 (58%) were females and 77 (42%) males.

The programme also registered Palliative Care clients with Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA), Severe Disability and other conditions. This figure is not a true representation of Palliative Care clients since the majority are unreported and nursed by caregivers at home,” he noted.

Collaborating with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the Global Atlas of Palliative Care, Lelatisitswe revealed that only about 12% of the nearly 60 million adults and children in need of Palliative care service receive it.

He pointed out the urgent need for collective action, citing that globally 18 million people die each year experiencing pain and suffering due to a lack of access to Palliative care and pain relief.

The Assistant Minister underlined that Palliative care is a shared responsibility and that the theme underscores the continued need for communities to unite in supporting each other.

Palliative care, he explained, enhances the quality of life for individuals facing serious illnesses, offering support not just at the end of life but throughout the entire trajectory of the illness, starting from diagnosis.

Lelatisitswe added that Palliative care extends to the health and well-being of caregivers, providing essential grief and bereavement support.

“Commemoration of this day is a kind reminder of why we should celebrate life, celebrate the vitality of life, despite the numerous challenges brought about by disease and infirmity,” he stated. October has been designated as a month for raising awareness and advocating for Palliative care by the WHO and international palliative care organisations.