Page 19 - Sphere No.21 (Mar 2008)

estimated 750 bereaved children and 500 families will benefit.
It is anticipated that the enhanced services made possible by
the programme will serve an additional 5,000 cancer patients,
20,000 day attendances and 12,000 home visits.
The programme has received awarmwelcome fromthemedical
community. “Previously, such a comprehensive team was a rarity
and to have all of these resources together and, most importantly,
all in the same Oncology unit has dramatically improved the wel-
fare and lessened the anxiety of incurable cases,” said Dr Rico Liu,
Honorary Clinical Assistant Professor at Queen Mary Hospital.
“Opening the lines of communication, helping patients to de-
cide the best course of treatment for them, completely changes
their outlook to a more positive one. Today, medicine is about
providing a patient, be they terminally ill or not, with a better
quality of life – right up until the end.”
The eight public hospitals participating in the Hong Kong
programme are Queen Mary Hospital, Pamela Youde Nether-
sole Eastern Hospital, Grantham Hospital, Queen Elizabeth
Hospital, United Christian Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospi-
tal, Prince of Wales Hospital and Tuen Mun Hospital.
In addition to the Li Ka Shing Foundation’s donation of
HKD42 million, the Hong Kong Hospital Authority is provid-
ing a grant of HKD23 million. Anthony Wu, Chairman of the
Hospital Authority, expressed gratitude to the Foundation for its
support. “Palliative care service is also a core component of can-
cer care and will be provided as early as when terminal illnesses
are diagnosed in cancer patients,” he said. “Assessment by multi-
disciplines will then be made to plan for the patients’ physical
and psychosocial needs. The generous donation will support the
promotion of palliative care services to benefit needy patients.”
Mr Li pioneered the charitable hospice movement in China.
Since 1998, 65,000 patients have been offered free hospice and
palliative care through the “Heart of Gold” programme. During
2008, the service will expand to 28 hospices nationwide, offer-
ing care to more than 18,000 patients each year.
To date, total funding for the “Heart
of Gold” programme exceeds
HKD240 million.
‘Dignity in death is priceless and care and respect
for those with a terminal illness are key indicators of our
social values and the mark of any civilised society’
The hospice day
care centres provide
patients with
comfortable facilities
staffed by experts.