October 25, 2021 To October 25, 2021

“Leave no one behind”, the motto of world hospice day 2021

Under the motto “Leave no one behind”, Hospice Egypt organized an online celebration of the World Hospice Day which took place on October 25, 2021, with the aim of disseminating the hospice concept and Hospice Egypt’s services to all the community. Hosting a group of scientists, clerics, and doctors, the debut involved a speech by Dr. Hussein Khairy (head of Physicians syndicate and former Dean of Kasr Al-Ainy Faculty of Medicine) about the severity of pain for a patient in his last days, the importance of free Hospice Egypt services, and the community’s need for such services. A speech by His Excellency the former Grand Mufti of the Arab Republic of Egypt Prof. Dr. Ali Gomaa about the existence of hospice services in the world and the importance of the presence of Hospice Egypt and the role of civil society in supporting such a service to ensure its continuity to serve patients in their end stages and their families. A speech by His Excellency the Ambassador of the Vatican, Archbishop Nicholas Henry (Archbishop of Iklanum in the Arab Republic of Egypt) explicated the needs of the terminally ill patients and their families for the free of charge hospice services and that about 254,000 patients are in need for such care yearly. An interview with Dr. Naima Al-Qasir (representative of the World Health Organization in Egypt) involved the role of health caretakers in providing palliative care to the terminally ill patients and the right of the patient to access pain management services. Two testimonials were shared from family members of two patients that were served by Hospice Egypt. They expressed their satisfaction with Hospice Egypt and their services during the last days of their deceased family members’ lives, as they helped reduce the physical burdens and psychological of the patient and his family.