Hospis Malaysia appeals to International Runners
Written by: APHN editorial team (Malaysia) – Hospis Malaysia
Hospis Malaysia is urging eager marathon runners from across the world to participate in this year’s Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon 2016 (SCKLM) to help raise much needed funds for the hospice.
We are looking to gather support from our palliative care advocates and supporters across the world to run at this internationally acclaimed race on August 7th.
Tham Su Ming, General Manager at Hospis Malaysia, said: “If there are any runners out there who would like to contribute their support to the overall development of palliative care worldwide, whilst having the opportunity to run a marathon around the gorgeous tropical city of Kuala Lumpur, they should consider signing up under the SCKLM’s ‘Run for a Reason’ Category and electing Hospis Malaysia as their charity of choice.
All those running on behalf of the hospice will get an exclusive running vest to wear on the day and will be part of the team helping raise awareness for palliative care to the 35,000 runners the marathon attracts each year.
Palliative care services in Malaysia are currently still fragmented. Inadequate public funding in the country has increased the call for charitable organisations to deliver palliative care services to the community, there is also a severe shortage of specialists in the field of palliative care nationwide. This shortage of experts is further intensified by the fact that ‘most medical schools in the country do not offer compulsory courses in palliative care, resulting in a limited understanding of the topic within the medical community’ as reported in the Quality of Death Index 2015 by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
There is a stark absence of minimum standards imposed on palliative care service providers in Malaysia. A preliminary survey of the public’s perception of palliative care has revealed that over 90% of the population are unaware of what palliative care is. Charitable organisations ‘rely on a robust network of voluntary support, with minimal training.’
Hospis Malaysia, a non-profit organisation, is a key provider of community palliative care in the country that offers professional domiciliary palliative care to patients within the Klang Valley region of the country. This year marks the hospice’s 25th year anniversary. To support the needs of the rest of the country, it is also a leading provider of training and education on palliative care and a strong advocate for greater accessibility and awareness to this area of medical specialty. The organisation is committed to advancing palliative care programmes and research with the aim of ensuring that palliative care, which is already part of the WHO definition of ‘Universal Health Care’, becomes fully integrated into the country’s health care system.
This is the fourth consecutive year in which Hospis Malaysia is elected as one of the beneficiaries under the ‘Run for a Reason’ Category of the marathon. “Raising funds on behalf of a cause you support can be great motivation for those running. Knowing that you are contributing towards making a difference to the overall development of palliative care is a real motivation to push through towards that finish line.”
To find out more about supporting Hospis Malaysia for the 2016 Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon please email their Communications Department at pr@hospismalaysia.org or visit their website at www.hospismalaysia.org!