LIFE ASKED DEATH

Developing Palliative Care in Asia - Short Film

More than half of all patients with cancer experience pain. In advanced disease, close to two thirds of patients report pain, about half of whom suffer pain of moderate-to-severe intensity. If cancer pain is not adequately treated, it can have devastating consequences that affect the quality of life of patients and their families. Palliative care improves the lives of patients and their families.  Watch ‘Life asked Death’ now and learn how palliative care services can be developed in ALL countries.

Photo Gallery

These photos were taken in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka during January to March 2016 as part of the Lien Collaborative for Palliative Care in-country training programs.

Several photos show the training taking place in the main government run hospitals and cancer centres. These include scenes in the hospital wards, depicting patients and their families trying to cope with the suffering presented by the life-threatening illness, as well as capturing the vital relationships between patients, both children and adults, and their caregivers.

Life, in all its forms, goes on both inside and outside the hospitals.  Is it a matter of just accepting the situation or is there an alternative to living and dying in pain?

Waiting their turn - patients and their families from all over the country rest in the long corridors of the main general hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Swallowing is not easy - patient supported by her sister after taking a morphine tablet to manage her pain.
Interactive, practical training - faculty and participants having case-based discussions following a visit to the wards.
Pedal powered patient transport - tricycle rickshaws provide economical and convenient transport in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Resting time - child asleep at a shelter of the Ashic Foundation for Childhood Cancer in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Mothers and children - staying at the free shelter provided by Ashic Foundation for Childhood Cancer in Dhaka, Bangladesh greatly increases the likelihood that these young patients are able to follow through and complete the course of treatment.
Daily commute - one of the many sizes of river craft transporting thousands of passengers and goods across the Buriganga River in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Tough conditions - caregiver looking after patient in a corridor of the main general hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. High patient load often means that the 2000 or so beds are insufficient.
Are you here to help? - patient in the main general hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Family matters - a child of one the patients seeking treatment in the main general hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Late in the day - patient with advanced cancer in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar. She passed on soon after.
Interactive, practical training - faculty and participants, a mix of doctors, nurses and social workers on their way to the wards.
It hurts - patient and caregiver in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Holding on to the bottle of Life - patient in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Feeling less pain - after better pain control, a patient in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Life in all its forms - youth having an evening game of soccer in Yangon, Myanmar.
Hi there - a young cancer patient in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Husband and wife – patient and caregiver in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Mother and daughter - patient and caregiver in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Recharging - an exhausted caregiver takes a rest alongside the patient in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Interactive - large group discussion during teaching conducted at the national cancer centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Ladies first - large group discussion during teaching conducted at the national cancer centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
We are here to help - faculty and participants visiting the wards as part of the teaching program at conducted at the national cancer centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Gold standard for pain relief - tablets of morphine, an essential pain medication according to the WHO.
A small walk to help pass the day - a resident of the Shantha Sevana hospice who is receiving treatment nearby at the national cancer centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Waiting their turn - patients and their families from all over the country rest in the long corridors of the main general hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Swallowing is not easy - patient supported by her sister after taking a morphine tablet to manage her pain.
Interactive, practical training - faculty and participants having case-based discussions following a visit to the wards.
Pedal powered patient transport - tricycle rickshaws provide economical and convenient transport in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Resting time - child asleep at a shelter of the Ashic Foundation for Childhood Cancer in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Mothers and children - staying at the free shelter provided by Ashic Foundation for Childhood Cancer in Dhaka, Bangladesh greatly increases the likelihood that these young patients are able to follow through and complete the course of treatment.
Daily commute - one of the many sizes of river craft transporting thousands of passengers and goods across the Buriganga River in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Tough conditions - caregiver looking after patient in a corridor of the main general hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. High patient load often means that the 2000 or so beds are insufficient.
Are you here to help? - patient in the main general hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Family matters - a child of one the patients seeking treatment in the main general hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Late in the day - patient with advanced cancer in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar. She passed on soon after.
Interactive, practical training - faculty and participants, a mix of doctors, nurses and social workers on their way to the wards.
It hurts - patient and caregiver in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Holding on to the bottle of Life - patient in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Feeling less pain - after better pain control, a patient in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Life in all its forms - youth having an evening game of soccer in Yangon, Myanmar.
Hi there - a young cancer patient in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Husband and wife – patient and caregiver in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Mother and daughter - patient and caregiver in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Recharging - an exhausted caregiver takes a rest alongside the patient in Yangon General Hospital, Myanmar.
Interactive - large group discussion during teaching conducted at the national cancer centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Ladies first - large group discussion during teaching conducted at the national cancer centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
We are here to help - faculty and participants visiting the wards as part of the teaching program at conducted at the national cancer centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Gold standard for pain relief - tablets of morphine, an essential pain medication according to the WHO.
A small walk to help pass the day - a resident of the Shantha Sevana hospice who is receiving treatment nearby at the national cancer centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
New Palliative Care services have been started at key government hospitals and cancer centres in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka by participants of the Lien Collaborative.
 
Oral morphine is being made available by the government of Myanmar.
 
Is your country implementing policies to provide palliative care as part of the healthcare system?
 
Are essential medications available to treat pain?
 
FIND OUT MORE

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