In the last few days, the director of the University Clinical Center in Banja Luka, Vlado Djajic, has become the subject of ridicule for his statement on palliative care. The video with his statement became the subject of numerous criticisms. However, the reality is unfortunately much harsher. Critical patients have been looking for this kind of support and therapy for years.
“We are creating a hospice-palliative therapy where 50 patients will be able to die with dignity, so to speak,” said Djajic.
The statement of the director of the University Clinical Center of Republika Srpska (RS) spread overnight on social networks, as well as on other media. On the one hand, a barrage of criticism. Djajic explains today: the taunts are terrible, because the number of serious patients is increasing, and unfortunately, there will be more. Therefore, as he says, a center for palliative care is more than necessary.
“It is believed that in ten years, every third person on the planet will have a malignant tumor disease. Unfortunately, the end of such diseases is that patients become immobile, but they are conscious, cannot get up, and have severe pain. It is terrible for both these patients and their families. For children who are forced – and not trained – to change someone’s clothes, give them medicine, change a catheter, help them perform hygiene,” explained Djajic.
Centers for the treatment of such patients practically do not exist. According to the latest information, there are less than twenty beds for these patients in the entire RS. Patient associations have been warning about this problem for years.
“Most of them now appear with cancer. We have a huge need for palliative care. They don’t manage at all. Simply, they discharge you from the hospital, you go home, from your family’s apartment you are driven again to the emergency room, which again refers you to some therapy and, quite simply, it all happens at home,” points out Verica Tadic, secretary of the Association of Women Patients with Breast Cancer (Spark).
The public, unfortunately or fortunately, and it depends on the point of view, is not familiar with the sufferings of numerous patients.
“The public is quite media illiterate. If you know how to scroll through content on social networks or type in a page on the Internet or watch news, it does not mean that you are media literate. So there will still be misunderstood information, one-way, one-channel information and there will still be manipulation due to such a situation,” says communication specialist Mladen Bubonjic.
Bubonjic adds that because of such comments, the patients suffer the most damage, but the health care staff, who, as he says, make great efforts in a very ungrateful system. He concludes that the story of palliative care must be communicated much better, that is, to bring the meaning of this type of therapy closer to citizens, especially in order to avoid ridicule, Federalna reports.
E.Dz.
