Experts call for better care to stop the suffering of critically ill in the United Arab Emirates

Doctors have called for better care to relieve and prevent the suffering of the chronically ill.

Palliative care – treating the pain, symptoms and stress of serious illness – is vital for patients but it is still misunderstood among health professionals, cancer sufferers and the public at large.

This type of treatment is also still not recognised as an essential component of health care and is not just for patients who have terminal illnesses, they say.

The concept of palliative care needs to be an integral part of the curriculum for medical students and health care professionals and the public needs to be trained about the necessity and importance of palliative care, said Dr Falah Al Khatib, an oncologist at Mediclinic City Hospital in Dubai.

“There is absolutely room for improvement,” he said.

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