Palliative Care

Since 2012, Al Amal is implementing different initiatives in health Sector, including Holistic Home-Based Palliative Care where we engage family members, community volunteers and teams of professionals to help the patients in need to improve quality of life for both the patients and their families.

Patients access to medication

Medication on health insurance

Since its creation in 2012, Al Amal has been supporting the noble cause of all Rwandans to have the health insurance. It is from this perspective that Al Amal supports the vulnerable people to have access to health insurance (Mutuelle de santé). Linking AL AMAL beneficiaries with different health service providers is one of palliative care key priorities. Access to medication is one of outcomes from this linkage, and this activity is facilitated by access to the community based health insurance (Mutuelle de santé). AL AMAL provides transportation facilities to those patients and provided support in monitoring drugs adherence at home.

Medical equipment and medicine from internal pharmacy

Beyond the medication from different clinics under referral system, Al Amal provides also drugs and equipment from its own small pharmacy to support patients depending on their specific needs. There are groups of some drugs that AL AMAL has, such as; Analgesics, antibiotics, antiseptic, antihypertensive, vitamins, and hypoglycemic drugs, and etc.… Medical consumables, for example; needles, tubing, adhesives, sealants for wound dressing and pampers There are also medical equipment to improve the quality of care provided to beneficiaries such as; medical bed, IV stands, wheelchairs, oxygen concentrator, nebulizer machine.

Pain free approach implementation

Management of referral system to Butaro cancer center and other different hospitals

In addition to frequent follow ups offered to patients during home based palliative care, some specific cases were referred to referral hospitals for further management by specialist doctors depending on their conditions. AL AMAL supported those referrals by follow up on the patient’s appointments and providing transport fees for chemotherapy and follow up by specialist medical doctors. . This service has been very important to the patients as for example one patient could get this service for more than 25 times.

Home Based Care and support

Daily follow ups for Al Amal‘s patient is performed by a team of professionals, including medical doctors, nurses, social workers and community based volunteers). It consists of the provision of medical, psychological and spiritual support to patients. Most of the time those patients need chemotherapy, radiotherapy and access to morphine.

During these home visits, palliative care beneficiaries received clinical services which include physical assessments, physical pain management with medication, different specific medical prescription, vital signs monitoring, psycho-social support and spiritual status evaluation and counseling.

The majority of our patients are suffering from cancer, diabetic, hypertension etc… Patients were taught together with their family members how to take care of themselves for some specific aspects like wound care for patients with cancer, monitoring of vital signs and blood glucose for patients with diabetic and hypertension, etc. AL AMAL team stand always available to assist during regular visits or when a patient or care giver calls for any abnormal signs or symptoms.

Education Support

One of the major issues that AL AMAL palliative care beneficiaries were facing before joining the program was the lack of school fees and materials for their children. The result from this was the school dropout or poor performance. In response to this, AL AMAL provides a complete package of education support which includes the school fees, materials; school feeding and school follow up.

Food support

L AMAL uses holistic approach of the palliative care, where specific package is designed for each family according to its specific needs. Food support is one of elements of the package for some families.

Families receive the monthly food support including the ordinary diet and the special diet fee meeting their health status (fruits, eggs, small fishes, vegetables, etc… )

Shelter support

AL AMAL supports some patients with high vulnerability and without any income generating activity to allow them to pay renting costs receive shelter rental fees. This is provided to patient’s families.

Economic Support

By implementing a holistic approach including health and psychosocial support, some Al-Amal beneficiaries show some improvements. The poor patients with health improvement are financially supported in their micro projects with the aim to generate some incomes and graduate. This economic support is also provided to some caregivers to equip them with the means to caring for the patients after receiving business coaching

Bereavement Support:

Palliative care does not end with the death of a person. Bereavement support is a key component of quality palliative care. It includes supporting both the person being cared for and their family and friends, from time of diagnosis until after the death occurs. One of the fundamental principles of palliative care is that the person and their family and close friends comprise the unit of care. They are often the primary caregivers for those who are ill and at home, and offer the most emotional support. Much has been written about the needs of caregivers and the role caregivers take in the “frontline of primary care”. Caregivers are more likely to have poor health and wellbeing outcomes if they perceive that support has not been available both before and following the death of the person they are caring for.

This package includes psychological support and funeral service package.