first post of 2009

Standing at the equator on March 21st with the sun directly overhead casting a tiny shadow reminded me of time passing. It has been too long since my last BLOG post and now so much to tell...so I'll make a start. 2009 began for me in Manchester then on to Southend and London; after spending a lovely Christmas with family and friends in Glasgow. Here is my niece Naama with her own baked Christmas biscuits. All too soon I was leaving the snow and ice for the sunshine of Uganda then on to India. Imagine swimming in the Arabian Sea as the sun sets over an empty Keralan beach. There was time to see my colleagues and friends in Pallium India including a Scottish doctor Dr Tom Middlemiss who is spending a year with the team. It was great to visit their new facilities and hear of plans to open an in-patient unit very soon. Time also to eat spicy fish curry, firey sambhar and crisp dosa before travelling north to take part in the IAPC (Indian Association for Palliative Care) 16th conference in New Delhi entitled 'Freedom from Pain'. Our host Dr Sushma Bhatnagar with her team at AIIMS delivered a great conference with over 600 delegates. I was privileged to give a paper on 'Opioid availability in sub-Saharan Africa'. We also took part in a walk to raise awareness of cancer held by Cansupport and graced by the prime minister's wife. The IAPC is growing and developing though there is still much to be done. The nearest state to New Delhi is Uttar Pradesh which is home to 3% of the worlds population yet has virtually no palliative care provision!
One ray of hope comes from the Emmanuel Hospital Association; a network of rural mission hospitals across mainly the north and east of India. Dedicated staff offer care to the marginalised and poor in India including an HIV/AIDS project in Delhi; Shalom. Dr Ann Thyle is leading the plans to develop palliative care programmes and it was a privilege to be faculty for the first training course led by Dr Ed Dubland from Canada. The small team are enthusiastic and already committed to holistic care.Integrating palliative care will make a real difference to so many and we may be able to help with these developments in the future.
Back in Uganda now with lots to report - but it can wait till the next post...