Paedspal, a non-profit organisation, is a lifeline for children facing serious illnesses. Their dedicated team provides paediatric palliative care, offering comfort and support to both the children and their families.
Cape Town, South Africa (11 October 2024) – Children deserve to be carefree, play at their heart’s content, grow, develop and receive love and care in all its abundance.
It’s heartbreaking when these precious little beings are unable to enjoy these simple pleasures due to unforeseen and undeserved illnesses.
Seeking to provide much-needed care and relief to these innocent children unfairly robbed of their health and joy, is Paedspal, a non-profit organisation focusing on palliative care for children.
Paedspal is committed to helping children with serious health-related suffering find relief, supporting their families and empowering healthcare practitioners to provide holistic palliative care.
Paedspal was established in 2016 in response to the desperate need for palliative care services for children with non-curable illnesses.
With a focus on holistic care that addresses physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, Paedspal has become a beacon of hope for thousands of families.
Understanding Paediatric Palliative Care
Paediatric palliative care is a specialised form of medical support for children coping with serious illnesses. It aims to alleviate symptoms and reduce the stress associated with the illness, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for both the child and their family.
Paedspal has rapidly grown to respond to the urgent needs of thousands of children who require this care but aren’t able to access it due to its specialist nature.
According to their website, Paedspal provides over 4,000 palliative care consultations to children and their families every year on average.
With a staff of 16, Paedspal is the largest specialist palliative care organisation in the country dedicated to children.
“Cancer accounts for around 4% of children needing palliative care, with premature birth and birth trauma and congenital malformations providing the highest need globally (33.9%) alongside HIV disease (29.6%),” Paedspal shared in a post.
What Paedspal does
Paedspal operates in the Western Cape and sees children both in public and private hospitals, as well as in its own outpatient clinic.
The outpatient clinic operates four times a week from its offices situated at the Stonefountain Terrace building.
Two of these clinics are full multidisciplinary clinics (both medical and psychosocial teams), and the other two provide additional psychosocial support.
Outreach is also provided to select institutions and communities.
Paedspal also provides education and training in PPC and is involved in policy work provincially and nationally.
Hats On for Children’s Palliative Care
The organisation relies solely on funding from its committed donors and supporters. As part of its fundraising efforts, Paedspal has partnered with six schools to participate in the fun Hats On for Children’s Palliative Care (#HatsOn4CPC) global campaign on Friday, 11 October.
“We’re looking forward to our annual #HatsOn4CPC day! It’s a time of fun and laughs as you wear hats of all kinds!
“You can have a ‘best hat’ competition! Send us your photos and tag us. We want to see those hats! You are taking part in an international event!”
To be part of the fundraising festivities or to learn more about Paedspal, email admin@paedspal.org.za or call 021 200 5873.
Sources: Paedspal
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