Health minister underlines importance of palliative care

Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia gave the opening comments to Hospice Malta’s biennial full-day conference titled ‘Palliative Care for All – The Way Forward’, a conference focused on the ethical, legal, medical and social challenges that palliative care faces.

Farrugia said that palliative care, a cause he described as being 'close to his heart', was there to improve the quality of life of patients facing life-threatening illnesses, and their families.

He said that during the final stages of illness, the care priority changes from ongoing curative measures to palliative care, describing it as a tradition that enriches the healthcare professions.

Palliative care was being given more importance in the National Health Strategy 2014 – 2020, so much so that 16 beds will be added to the oncology department at Mater Dei specifically for palliative care.

“Every patient deserves the chance to pass away with dignity,” Farrugia said. “The need for palliative care is increasing as life expectancy increases and diseases like cancer increase as well.”

As well as emphasizing the need for trained healthcare professionals in the field of palliative care, Farrugia thanked Hospice Malta for being a pioneer in the field.