An organised form of health care for the chronically and terminally ill is needed more and more in Croatia where 20 percent of the population is over 65, the association said.
Malignant diseases occurrence is rising and there is a growing number of people suffering from dementia while at the same time, there are fewer families members available to care for them. Circumstances require a new model of health care - organised care for patients and families - in order to preserve the dignity of their lives until death, the association's president Vesna Vucevac said.
The purpose of palliative care is to relieve the pain and other grave symptoms amongst patients and that requires specially trained multidisciplinary teams who can offer that sort of care in a patient's home or infirmary.
In Croatia palliative patients are usually left up to family doctors or nurses who conduct house calls.
"Many people die hungry and thirsty in Croatia, in horrific pain and all this is absolutely unnecessary considering the medicaments that are available," Dr. Vucevac said.
We need to focus especially on the growing number of people suffering from dementia for whom there there are not enough beds in hospitals.
Recently we have seen some positive steps in the strategic plan for the development of palliative care but Vucevac warned that this was progressing far too slowly and it is necessary to incorporate palliative care into the health-care legislation, she said.
The health ministry adopted a strategic plan last year in an effort to secure the best possible health care for patients with incurable diseases and their families.
The objective of the strategic plan is to make palliative care available 24/7 throughout Croatia. By 2016 the number of palliative beds in hospitals and teams in the field should be increased.
The only official hospice in Croatia is in Rijeka. Some counties have palliative teams conducting house calls but hospices are the last link in the chain intended for those who have no-one to care for them. We need to do a lot more, Dr. Vucevac concluded.
Around 50,000 people die in Croatia each year and the main causes of death are coronary illnesses, cancers and dementia. For palliative care for the dying to be effective in Croatia, we need around 20,000-30,000 engaged in this form of health care the doctors' association concluded.