A Human Being as a Human Being

Carol Bales — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 16:12:36 +0000

This post was originally published on the IntraHealth International blog.

One of the things I like best about my job at IntraHealth International is that I’ve been able to incorporate photography into my work to support health workers around the world. Recently I was overjoyed to see one of my photos included in an article about frontline health workers in the Huffington Post. Here’s the story behind the photo.

Author's name:

Carol Bales

Publication Date:

September 2013

A Nurse in the House

Sarah Dwyer — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:22:02 +0000

As a documentary filmmaker exploring the issue of untreated pain and palliative care delivery globally, I discovered the extraordinary difference health workers make to patients facing end-of-life issues. The quality of care a patient receives at this critical time can have a profound impact on both patients and their families. When I learned that nurses in Uganda were able to prescribe oral morphine in the homes of patients, thereby relieving pain and returning quality of life to many who were too sick to travel, I had to find out more.

“Many developing countries still have a real problem about the use, importation, and manufacture of morphine,” explained Eugene Murray, former CEO of the Irish Hospice Foundation. “The second thing is having appropriate ways to distribute it. In Uganda, they dilute powdered morphine into water which is colored with a dye to indicate the three different strengths and is distributed by nurses in a community using recycled water bottles. That may seem very crude but in terms of pain control that is absolutely transformational.”

Author's name:

Sue Collins, guest blogger

Publication Date:

September 2011

Palliative Care

A Human Being as a Human Being

A Nurse in the House