Dr. Suharsha Kanathigoda speaking at the Toronto gathering on Sunday
By Somasiri Munasinghe
Just six days before the world celebrates the Palliative Day on October 13 some Torontonians had a unique opportunity to listen to a Sri Lankan-born doctor about his pioneering efforts to establish a palliative care hospital in Anuradhapura, an area highly affected by kidney disease.
“I myself did not know about palliative care till I went to Australia to work as a doctor,” Dr. Suharsha Kanathigoda told the gathering on Sunday (October 7) evening during a brief stopover during his busy North American Awareness Campaign tour for the first-ever palliative care hospital in his native land which he describes as the first eco-friendly facility in the world. The hospital will be built on a 2-acre plot at Viharapalugama, five km from Anuradhapura Hospital.
“While working as a senior palliative care consultant in Australia I was looking at opportunities to give back to my motherland which had given me so much. The birth of the Shanthi Foundation charity in 2014 to develop the hospital in Sri Lanka is my way of saying thank you,” he told the gathering that included Toronto Sri Lankan Consul General U.L.M. Jauhar who ‘missed a trip to Montreal on the Thanksgiving Weekend to attend the important function’.
Palliative care which is now considered as a human right, is still relatively new component in modern healthcare and in Sri Lanka it has been neglected for a long time mainly due to ignorance of its ability to improve quality of life of the patients challenged by problems relating to life-limiting illnesses.
“We will start building the hospital in Anuradhapura next year. This area has been adversely hit by increasing numbers of kidney failure,” says Dr. Kanathigoda who serves as the Director of Palliative Care at Calvary Health Care, a charitable not-for-profit health care organisation in Canberra, Australia, in addition to serving as the Deputy Chair NSW/ACT State Committee of The Royal Australian College of Physicians. He also works at Sydney Adventist Hospital and as a Senior Lecturer of the Australian National University. He had previously worked at the University of Sydney and Peter Maccallum Cancer Centre.
Unlike allopathy that aims to combat diseases by using remedies such as drugs or surgery, palliative care which takes a holistic approach is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness, the goal being the improvement of quality of life for both the patient and the family.
The main reason to set up the hospital in Anuradhapura is its closeness to agricultural areas of north, east and north central provinces. “The increase of kidney diseases requiring dialysis has been caused by the use of artificial fertiliser. Sri Lanka, incidentally, records the highest per capita use of fertiliser in the world and the problem is acute as the chemicals find their way to underground water sources. On the other hand, people are ignorant of the correct use of fertiliser like wearing masks while factors like dehydration and lack of pure drinking water make matters worse,” says the medical professional who studied at the Colombo Royal College and graduated as a doctor from the University of Colombo Medical Faculty.
During the last four and half years Shanthi Foundation has been providing Reverse Osmosis Machines installed in schools and they are located mainly in North Central and some in Northern, Eastern and Uva provinces to provide clean water.
The hospital to be built in three phases will have 40 bed inpatient unit, outpatient clinics, training and research centre and home-based palliative care services. The facility will also have places of worship of the four main religions since palliative care embodies patients’ spiritual requirements and socio-religious wellbeing. Phase One of the project is expected to cost over $1.2 million Canadian Dollars. About $560,000 has been raised over five years through family sponsorships and charity drives. Those funds are presently being used in ongoing community and health projects.
“Home-based palliative care services will form a key component of the treatment system. The cost of coming to the hospital from distant places will be prohibitive for poor patients as they have to be accompanied by family members spending around Rs.20,000 per month. Home-based treatments will be economical for the families in such instances,” he said adding that doctors and nurses engaged in other areas of medicine are being trained in the specialised field of palliative care. Trained nurses visit homes periodically and on call.
There was a buzz of excitement among the audience when fund-raising was being discussed. During the Q&A session at the end of the doctor’s talk there were many suggestions for fund raising in Canada. Some suggested the establishment of a Toronto Chapter – there is one already in Australia – and also there was a suggestion to raise money by organising social events like dances, musical shows and other such programs.
Dr. Kanathigoda did not seem to favour a Go Fund Me Page to raise funds as suggested in the gathering. “The people involved in Shanthi Foundation work on a one hundred percent voluntary basis and we pay for travel and other expenses from our own pockets. So, I don’t see the purpose of paying a commission to someone to raise funds for us. We need all the money we can lay our hands on for this noble project,” he said.
In the global palliative care index Sri Lanka stands at No. 65 while Canada ranks No. 8. Australia takes No.1 slot in Asia Pacific region. Shanthi Foundation which is engaged in palliative care work in Third World countries like India also serves Australia. “Though Australia has very well-developed system of overall health care we serve the people in neglected sections like aborigines, homeless and others living in remote areas: people who fall through the cracks.”
Sri Lanka’s population is 22 million and around 112,500 deaths are reported annually. Total number requiring palliative care is around 60 per cent of all deaths (68,000 victims a year).
Currently, 58 patients with life-limiting illnesses are being sponsored with a programme which began in 2015 with 11 patients. Over the last seven years around 800 doctors, 600 nurses and 60 allied health staff in Sri Lanka and India have been trained by conducting numerous courses and workshops.
Dr. Kanathigoda’s wife Neelia was present at the event welcoming the visitors at the entrance. While introducing her to the audience he said, “Coming from a single-child family I was slow in giving in the early part of life but my wife changed all that. Neelia who has a passion for charity is the main inspiration behind the Shanthi Foundation,” he said profusely thanking her.
Judging by what the charity has achieved in such a short time and ambitious plans in motion for the future we can see how far that inspiration has gone to create a revolution in a neglected field in Sri Lankan health services.
FOR FUTHER DETAILS REFER SHANTHI FOUNDATION’S WEBSITE
Pictures courtesy: Ibrahim Meru Photography
