Established on August 20, 2001, and officially inaugurated on September 1 of the same year, the Palliative Care Center was founded through a philanthropic collaboration between the Li Ka Shing Foundation and the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, dedicated to providing free home-based medical services to late-stage cancer patients facing severe financial hardship and suffering from severe pain.
The center delivers medical services directly to patients’ homes, monitoring changes in their condition and pain levels, assessing their emotional and psychological state, and actively listening to the needs of both patients and their families. Additionally, the team provides guidance for caregivers on patient care and effective communication strategies, ensuring that patients experience a dignified and compassionate end-of-life journey, surrounded by warmth and human connection.
Mission: A patient-centered, holistic approach aimed at enhancing the quality of life for late-stage cancer patients facing severe financial hardship and suffering from pain.
Objective: To alleviate cancer-related pain and other discomforts, ensuring that terminally ill patients live with purpose and dignity in their final stages. The center also provides comprehensive physical, psychological, spiritual, and social care, helping ease the emotional burden on families while fostering peace and acceptance in the process of life and death.
Service Model: The center offers free home visits, outpatient consultations, and telephone-based inquiries and counseling. There are no inpatient beds.
Services: The center freely provides home-based analgesic therapy, outpatient consultations, and advisory services; delivers guidance on home nursing care and support for caregivers; offers holistic counseling addressing the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of patients and families to ensure whole-person care; coordinates volunteer activities; cultivates humanistic compassion and a spirit of dedication in students while promoting social harmony; and conducts educational outreach regarding end-of-life care.
Eligibility: Late-stage cancer patients with pain facing severe financial hardship.
Specialty and Advantage: The center provides free, home-based, standardized pain management and holistic care, encompassing physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being for eligible cancer patients experiencing pain.
Staffing: The team comprises 2 physicians, 3 nurses (1 of whom is also a social worker), 1 administrative assistant, 1 driver, and several volunteers.
Required Documents:
(1) Original disease diagnosis certificate issued by a secondary-level hospital or above (with an official medical seal).
(2) Original and photocopy of the patient’s and family member’s identification card.
Procedure: Family members submit the required paperwork to the Palliative Care Center. After the documents are reviewed and approved, registration and necessary information will be collected. The staff will arrange a home visit in order of registration. Family members will be asked to guide the staff to the patient’s home at the scheduled time, where medical and social workers will assess the patient and provide guidance. Family members collect prescribed medications from the center, with staff providing instructions on proper administration and pain management.
Achievements: Since its establishment, the Palliative Care Center has provided standardized pain management and psychological, social, and spiritual medical services to over 10,000 late-stage cancer patients. It has earned widespread recognition and appreciation, reinforcing its role in public welfare and the hospital’s commitment to compassionate healthcare.