Neil Nijhawan’s, Chairman of UAE Palliative and Supportive Care Working Group of Emirates Oncology Society, IAHPC Advocacy Focal Point for the UAE, shared on LinkedIn:
“This morning, a woman with advanced cancer died.
I met her only because of a global network of palliative care doctors.
A colleague reached out to me from overseas, asking whether I could help a patient here in the UAE. Through that connection, I was able to meet her and her family, help optimize her pain control, and support them through what became the final part of her illness.
This morning, after she died, I spoke with her husband. Through tears, he said he did not have the words to know how to thank us.
It was one of those moments that stays with you.
‘In palliative care, we cannot always change the outcome.
But we can change the experience. We can relieve suffering. We can help someone feel safer and more comfortable. We can support a family who are frightened and overwhelmed.’
And sometimes, simply connecting the right people at the right time can make an enormous difference.
What struck me most was how this began: one palliative care doctor reaching out to another across borders, for a patient neither of us would otherwise have known.
‘A professional network became something very human.
A message became a visit.
A visit became support.’
And that support mattered to a family at one of the hardest moments of their lives.
We often talk about palliative care in terms of services, systems, medications and access.
But at its heart, it remains something much simpler: People looking after people.
Today, I was reminded of that.”
To which Humaid Al-Shamsi, CEO of Burjeel Cancer Institute and Chairman of Nexomic, added:
“Read this please.
I’m lucky to work with dedicated people like my dear friend Neil Nijhawan who keeps reminding me, what medicine is all about.”
You can also read: Rethinking Care Beyond Cure Through the Lens of Palliative Medicine – CancerWorld
