Uzbekistan builds its first children’s hospice with mobile care

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — A mobile palliative care service for children with severe, incurable illnesses has been operating in Samarkand Region since 28 September. More than 300 children in the region have been identified as needing this type of support. The service is part of a wider support system being developed by the National Agency for Social Protection alongside the construction of Uzbekistan’s first children’s hospice, which will have its own mobile team, the agency said.

The mobile team includes medical specialists, social workers and psychologists. They provide care at children’s homes, help relieve pain and other symptoms, develop individual support plans for children and their families, and teach parents caregiving skills.

Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva, First Deputy Director of the National Agency for Social Protection, stressed that palliative care should take into account not only a child’s medical needs but also their interests, wishes and right to live a full life.

“We cannot change a child’s diagnosis, but we can change each day of their life,” she said.

According to Mirziyoyeva, the project aims to ensure that families can receive the necessary assistance both at home and at the hospice. It also seeks to change public attitudes towards children with incurable illnesses by focusing not only on their diagnoses but also on each child as an individual.

Inson social service centres open an individual case file for each child and help families obtain the necessary social services and assistive devices. Depending on their needs, children are provided with adapted wheelchairs, standing frames, functional beds and anti-decubitus mattresses.

The National Agency for Social Protection continues to build the children’s hospice. Once completed, the inpatient facility and mobile service are expected to operate as an integrated system providing palliative care for children and support for their families.