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Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Ms Joan Pereira
MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC
Question No. 1876
To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the process for family members of patients who are under palliative care to access counselling services; (b) at what stage of the patient's end journey will counselling be provided for the family members; and (c) what is being done to create awareness of this service.
Answer
1 Palliative care providers have multidisciplinary care teams that support patients on palliative care services and their family members. These teams comprise staff with experience in counselling, such as medical social workers, counsellors, or pastoral care staff.
2 The care teams will keep in touch with family members, assess their needs, and provide the necessary support for the patient and the family. This includes support to help family members cope with caregiving and grief management, as well as bereavement care after the patient’s passing. Care teams may also link up families with other support organisations and resources.
3 MOH has been working with community partners to promote public awareness about palliative care and End-of-Life (EOL) conversations. For example, in conjunction with World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, Singapore Hospice Council held an inaugural community engagement event in October last year, to raise public awareness on the topic. We will continue to work with community partners on such public outreach and education efforts.