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Palliative care is multidisciplinary medical care that supports those with life-threatening diseases, most commonly AIDS and cancers. This specialised care aims to optimise a patient’s quality of life, as well as support their family members, at every stage of illness.
Who needs care?
Care begins when a life-threatening disease is diagnosed and continues regardless of whether treatment, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy or any other treatment directed at the disease, is received or not.
Palliative care may be provided in healthcare facilities, community centres (such as hospice community centres) or at home. According to the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa (HPCA), about 100 000 patients and their families receive hospice services every year, mostly in the comfort of their own homes.
How does it help?
It includes the prevention and management of pain and other symptoms associated with a patient’s illness, as well as supporting a patient’s psychological and spiritual needs. A patient’s family is also supported with advice on how to provide care at home and through counselling, including bereavement support if a patient passes away.
Hospice programmes and palliative care teams in certain hospitals offer the needed care. Several specially trained healthcare providers can deliver palliative care, including medical doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, dietitians, pharmacists and social workers.
According to the HPCA’s latest available annual report for 2021, 14% of patients cared for were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, 7% with chronic illnesses, 9% with cancer, 2% with tuberculosis, and 68% with COVID-19. Females accounted for 66% of patients and males 34%, with 46 to 60 years of age accounting for the highest percentage (28%), regarding age distribution of patients.
Bestmed’s palliative care benefits
“Bestmed Medical Scheme offers palliative care and home-based care in lieu of hospitalisation across all benefit options at 100% Scheme tariff. The hospital pre-authorisation department considers hospice authorisation”, says Madelein Barkhuizen, Executive Manager of Sales and Marketing at Bestmed Medical Scheme.
The benefit is limited to a specified amount per beneficiary per annum as per a member’s benefit option. It is also subject to available benefit, pre-authorisation and treatment plan.