Fiji Cancer Society commences community palliative care project

A project aimed to equip participants with the required knowledge and skills to look after palliative care patients is now underway.

The Fiji Cancer Society together with the health care workers and zone nurses have commenced their community palliative care project training this year.

The project is funded by the Women’s Fund Fiji.

The Cancer Society says in Fiji most female cancer patients and survivors, including newly diagnosed cancer patients, go through immense stress and social issues such as loss of self-esteem, stigma, emotional, and psychosocial crises, and with health care providers are already overloaded by providing clinical services, there is a lack of supportive care which is crucial towards the patient’s pathway.

Community Palliative Care Program Facilitator, Sr Rosini Ravono says, in providing this workshop, they have shown interest and the passion to look after patients who are not able to mobilise themselves and are hoping to finish the training for the Central Division and also a graduation ceremony for the zone nurses and Community Health Workers.

Training sessions have been conducted with community health workers and zone nurses in Tailevu between March and April, in Rewa in May, and in Serua/Namosi Subdivision in June.

Altogether, 34 community health workers and six-zone nurses have undergone this training and over 83 percent felt confident about applying knowledge and skills learnt from the training.

The Fiji Cancer Society focuses on health and wellness, early detection and prevention supported by strategic partnerships to reduce the impact of cancer.

Future palliative care training sessions are planned for Naitasiri, Suva, and Nasinu later in the year.