Page 23 - Sphere No.17 (Sep 2006)

illness and Mr Li was deeply moved as he
watched his friend suffer. There are people
on the Mainland who suffer from the same
illness, he thought. If these patients are poor,
their pain would be much harder to bear. He
then started discussions with the Shantou
University Medical College about setting up
the first hospice on the Mainland.
The vast majority of terminal-stage cancer
patients on the Mainland suffer tremendous
physical pain and psychological torment
during the final stages of their lives. Most
cancer patients with financial difficulties
cannot afford basic analgesic medication
and die in excruciating pain.
“Terminal-stage cancer patients are people who have once
made a contribution to society, but now they are suffering agonis-
ing pain,” saidMr Li. “Easing their pain, filling their thoughts with
the best memories of their lives and allowing them to complete
their final journeys in peace and with dignity is the best reward
that we, the living, can give them.” This is the guiding principle
behind the beginning of hospice care on the Mainland.
The Chinese name for the hos-
pice, Ning Yang Yuan (literally
“Peace and Care Hospital”), was Mr
Li’s idea. He found it a more accept-
able name for a hospice in a society
where death remains a taboo.
Into a new era
The Ning Yang Yuan created a prac-
tical model for hospice care on the
Mainland by integrating home and
outpatient services. Patients and their
families are givenanalgesic treatment,
psychological counselling and infor-
mation on palliative care through the
Home, Consultation and Outpatient
Services provided by the hospice. To
reach out to a larger number of ter-
minal-stage cancer patients, Mr Li
made a further donation in January
2001 to set up the National Hospice
Care Programme. The programme
receives HKD26 million from Mr
Li every year, with total donations
now exceeding HKD130 million.
Today, 19 other major hospitals in
Mainland China have set up hospices
through the National Hospice Care
Programme. As the only provider of
free terminal care for impoverished
cancer patients and their families, the
IN NOVEMBER 1998 MR LI KA-SHING set up, with a personal
donation, the first hospice inMainlandChina at the First Affiliated
Hospital of the Shantou University Medical College. Before then,
hospice services and palliative care – virtually unexplored terri-
tory in Chinese medical history – were unavailable in Mainland
China. At the time, the facility was the only provider of free hos-
pice care for impoverished cancer patients at home, offering pain
alleviation, psychological counselling,
life ethics and other forms of terminal
care. Falling within the realm of so-
cial work, hospice services go beyond
the confines of purely medical care.
Although patients can not be cured,
hospice care allows them to live their
remaining days in serenity and love.
As defined by the World Health
Organisation, palliative care “af-
firms life and regards dying as a
normal process, intends neither to
hasten nor postpone death, provides
relief from pain and other distress-
ing symptoms, integrates the psy-
chological and spiritual aspects of
patient care, offers a support sys-
tem to help patients live as actively
as possible until death, and offers a
support system to help the family
cope during the patient’s illness and
their own bereavement.”
One man’s compassion
The programme was inspired by
personal experience. Mr Li went to
a hospital one day to visit a friend
suffering from cancer. Despite re-
ceiving the best possible care at this
leading hospital in Hong Kong, his
friend was still tormented by his
SPHERE 21
The Ning Yang Yuan created a practical
model for hospice care on the Mainland by
integrating home and outpatient services.
“I wish to work with you hand in hand because we are all dedicated
to helping people who have nowhere else to turn to. This programme
will be in place for not just a year; it will go on until the Mainland
becomes more affluent and more capable of taking care of its
terminally ill patients. My commitment to the advancement of
education and medical care will go on beyond my lifetime.
Cancer patients have made contributions to society. I hope to help
alleviate their suffering as much as possible so that they can live
out their remaining days with dignity.”
— Li Ka-shing
COLOUR PHOTO INSERTS: TA KUNG PAO