Palliative Care Program Model Launched in Bangladesh

Building on the work that has been done over the past six years with our partners in Bangladesh the WHPCA received a $450,000 grant over three years to continue and expand local efforts to build palliative care in Bangladesh. The project officially named ‘Building an integrated age-attuned model of supportive palliative care in Bangladesh was launched in Narayanganj City at a public event by the City Mayor Dr. Selina Hayat Ivy on 29^th March 2022. The City Mayor was the chief guest, and she assured her support while inaugurating the new phase of the special health care program defined under palliative care for minimizing the pain and suffering of the terminally ill patients with love, care, and empathy.  The essence is to create a ‘Compassionate Care Model’ in the next 3 years.

In Bangladesh over 602,000 people require supportive and palliative care each year (Global Atlas of Palliative Care, 2020). There is a low level of awareness amongst the general population of what palliative care is and its benefits. Few health professionals have any training in palliative care, and there is no national action plan of how to integrate palliative care into the public health system as part of universal health coverage. This project will go a long way to address these problems. Partners in the project include the medical university in Dhaka (BSMMU), Ayat Education, and St. Christopher’s Hospice.