Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families who are facing problems associated with life-threatening illnesses such as cancer. It is the prevention and relief of suffering of any kind – physical, psychological, social, or spiritual, experienced by adults and children living with life-limiting health problems. It promotes dignity, quality of life and adjustment to progressive illnesses, using best available evidence. Palliative care is also recognized as part of the comprehensive services required for the non-communicable diseases. It improves patient outcomes, reduces treatment costs or hospital bills and prevents avoidable hospital admissions. In a nutshell, Palliative care is the provision of caring and dignified support and services for people facing a life –limiting condition .It is provided wherever the person is, whether that is in the home, hospital, community clinic or hospice.

Pain is one of the most frequent and serious symptoms experienced by patients in need of palliative care. Opioid analgesics are essential for treating the pain and other common distressing physical symptoms associated with many advanced progressive conditions. For example, 80% of patients with cancer will experience moderate-to-severe pain at the end of their lives. Psychosocial support is another common need in palliative care. Patients with life-threatening or terminal illness and their caregivers go through great stress, and health professionals treating them need to be adequately trained or prepared to help them manage their stress. The health system and health facilities may need certain simple features to facilitate other end-of-life needs ofa patient, such as spiritual needs, family support, legal support where needed, and a motivating physical environment.

Palliative care may often be seen simply as giving painkilling medicines. The rationale for palliative care certainly includes the need for relief from pain and other distressing symptoms, but it goes further to include efforts rts to enhance the quality of life, and even in5uence the course of illness in a positive way. Life is a6rmed and dying is regarded as a normal process, with care integrating physical, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual aspects. Patients are helped to live as actively as possible until death, and a support system offers help to the family to cope both during the patient’s illness and during bereavement. Palliative care is not intended to hasten or postpone death, but uses ethical principles, shared decision making and advanced care planning to identify patients’ priorities and goals for their care at the end of life. A team approach is used and many kinds of health and social care providers, as well as volunteers, can be involved. It is important that palliative care should not be considered as something that only hospitals can do. It can be provided in any health-care setting and also in patients’ homes and can be successfully implemented even if resources are limited.

We have embarked on a project to set up a palliative care center in Zimbabwe.