13/10/2026
Not everyone who relieves suffering wears a stethoscope.
As we reflect on World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, observed on 10 October, and its theme, “Pain Management: An Essential Part of Palliative Care,” I want to acknowledge the professionals whose contributions are so often overlooked.
Counsellors, social workers, doulas, spiritual care providers, and others who work alongside medical teams to support patients and their families.
When we think of pain management, we naturally think of medication and medical interventions. While these are essential, not all suffering can be addressed through medication alone. Especially when caring for children.
A child may not understand why a procedure is necessary. They may be unable to express their fear, discomfort, or distress. Some cannot communicate verbally at all.
How do we manage suffering when a child cannot tell us what hurts?
Sometimes, through a gentle touch. A familiar voice. Someone explaining what is happening, even when the child cannot respond. Someone recognising distress that cannot be measured on a pain scale.
These are not insignificant gestures. They are meaningful interventions that help relieve suffering.
Palliative care recognises that suffering is multidimensional. Physical pain is only one aspect. Emotional, psychological, social, and spiritual suffering also require attention.
Yet many non-medical palliative care professionals remain inadequately recognised and funded. Their services are often excluded from medical aid benefits, leaving families to carry the financial burden of essential supportive care.
We advocate for multidisciplinary care, but how can we truly achieve it when some of the professionals who make it possible are treated as optional?
A counsellor does more than sit and talk. A social worker does more than arrange practical assistance. A doula or supportive care professional does more than hold someone's hand.
These professionals bring specialised knowledge and skills that complement medical treatment.
Compassionate care is not a luxury. Emotional support is not an optional extra. And the professionals providing it deserve recognition.
If we are serious about improving palliative care, we must recognise the whole person, the whole family, and the whole team.
Because sometimes, while medicine works to relieve physical pain, someone else is working just as hard to ease the suffering that cannot be seen.
And both deserve a place in palliative care.
