Singapore Hospice Council raises $472,000 for palliative care awareness, training
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SINGAPORE - The Singapore Hospice Council (SHC) raised about $472,000 from a charity concert on Saturday night to increase awareness of palliative care and improve the quality of such services here.
The funds will be used for the council's advocacy work and train caregivers in areas such as pain management and bereavement support.
Palliative care is aimed at relieving suffering and improving the quality of life of those who have severe and often terminal illnesses.
At the concert held at School of the Arts Singapore, Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin said it is important to talk about death with loved ones, even if it is not easy to do so.
He said: "Healthcare expenditure increases dramatically in the last six to nine months of a person's life. With medical science, we can extend life, but whether the quality of life is the way it should be, perhaps not. All of us have to deal with these issues."
The council's executive director Sim Bee Hia said that increasing public awareness of palliative care means more people may seek help on how to provide better support to their loved ones.
"Palliative care is most effective when considered early in the course of illness. It improves the quality of life for patients and reduces unnecessary hospitalisation," she said.
Ms Sim added that the funds will go towards training caregivers on skills such as administering medication and proper nutrition for patients with advanced illness.
The concert on Saturday featured performances by local singer Kit Chan, radio DJs, as well as staff and volunteers from SHC, charity Tzu Chi Singapore and HCA Hospice.
