In Hong Kong, palliative care service was first introduced in the 1980s. There are now a total of 360 hospital beds and around 40 doctors available to provide palliative care service in 16 public hospitals.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Hospital Authority (HA), palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of patients and their families associated with life-threatening illness by enhancing their physical, psychosocial, spiritual and social well-beings.
However, the city is challenged to a rising demand for palliative service amid the ageing population and prevalence of life-limiting diseases.
Given the considerable need of medical service of the elderly, the current palliative care service is insufficient to meet the escalating demand. This has also raised concern for the support of family caregivers.
We interviewed some family caregivers of cancer patients on the support and challenges of caregiving. Aged between 41 to 60, and these caregivers have been in touch with palliative care.
Their comments on the current palliative care service are negative. Most of them only gave two to three marks out of ten on the support given to caregivers. Moreover, none of them have heard about bereavement counselling, which is supposed to be part of the palliative care service.
The counselling aims to provide emotional support in coping with one’s grief due to the loss of a loved one. The serious lack of promotion reflects that there is a great room for improvement in aiding caregivers.
Therefore, in this series, we have interviewed four people from different walks of life yet closely related to palliative care service. They share their views on the current services and quality of death in Hong Kong.
Get yourself ready for understanding Hong Kong’s end-of-life journey!
Caregiving In The Shadows: The Plight Of Local Caregivers
Have you ever thought about the biggest fear you would face if you were a caregiver for your loved one? Read 66-year-old Chan’s story to know more about the plight of Hong Kong’s caregivers.
Treating Different Pains Of Patients and Their Families In Life
For terminally-ill patients, there are no medications that can heal or save them from dying. How can a palliative care doctor reduce both patients and their families sufferings?
Reducing Pain And Regret In Life Through Counseling
What can we do to avoid having lifelong regrets to both the patients and the bereaved? How can we enhance our communication with our loved one and family?
Can Hong Kong People Die In Place?
Former Health Secretary of Hong Kong, Yeoh Eng-kiong, once said, “I wish I could die at home in the future, It’s a much better place.” Yet, can we have the autonomy in choosing the place of care and death?
Facing Death In Hong Kong 