Starting September 28, a dedicated mobile palliative care service has officially commenced operations in the Samarkand region, aimed at supporting children suffering from severe and incurable diseases. The initiative was implemented by the National Agency for Social Protection following reports that over 300 children in the region require specialized care. The newly formed mobile teams comprise medical professionals, social workers, and psychologists tasked with delivering direct assistance to patients within their home environments.

The core responsibilities of the mobile units include providing in-home medical support, alleviating severe symptoms, managing pain, and training family members in proper caregiving techniques. The 'Inson' social services centers create individual case files for each child, facilitating the provision of necessary rehabilitation equipment, such as customized wheelchairs, verticalizers, functional beds, and anti-decubitus mattresses. According to agency reports, each mobile crew visits between 8 and 12 households daily. *

Representatives and family members note that households dealing with terminally ill children frequently experience profound despair and heavy financial strain, with some parents forced to sell personal vehicles to fund treatments. Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva, First Deputy Director of the National Agency for Social Protection, emphasized that palliative care is independent of prognosis timelines, focusing instead on improving the daily well-being of the patient and shifting societal attitudes toward incurable pediatric conditions.

Alongside the launch of the mobile service, construction of a dedicated children's hospice is actively underway in the Samarkand region. Officials intend to integrate both the mobile units and the future hospice into a unified regional system for palliative care and family support, aligning with broader national plans to integrate medical and social services across the country.

Source: www.gazeta.uz