Dubbo community members are being invited to throw their support behind a push for extra palliative care specialists in NSW.
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More than 330 participants at this month’s Orana Relay for Life have already led the way, taking a pledge to help Cancer Council NSW’s lobbying efforts.
The organisation is pushing the NSW government for funding for more specialist doctor and nurse positions.
Its ‘I care for palliative care’ campaign is advocating for funding for an extra 139 specialist palliative care doctor and nurse positions, together with culturally-appropriate palliative care for Aboriginal people.
As more than half of participants in the Orana Relay for Life took the pledge on November 5-6, some also shared personal experiences, Cancer Council NSW community programs coordinator Camilla Thompson reported.
The organisation is encouraging the wider community to lend a hand and a heart to the effort to convince the government to take action.
“It was really inspiring at the Relay For Life in Dubbo. . . to see so many people come forward and take the pledge to show they care about palliative care,” Ms Thompson said.
“We were overwhelmed by the amount of people who have had a personal experience with palliative care - good, bad or otherwise - and we really would encourage people who have had an experience to come forward and share their stories with us so that we can initiate change.”
People interested in sharing their story can contact the Cancer Council Western Office on 6392 0800.
They can also take the pledge by going to http://www.canact.com.au/
“The campaign is also raising awareness about what palliative care is,” Ms Thompson said.
“A lot of people think of palliative care as just end of life care but really we want to raise awareness that palliative care is more about improving the quality of life of people who are chronically and terminally ill and getting the right help when they need it no matter where they live in NSW.”