The transition between being a healthy person to one who is on the edge of leaving this world is not something most people spend their time thinking about – unless fate has forced their hand.

The Better Access to Palliative Care program, a one-off assistance package, was funded under the Tasmanian Health Assistance Package by the federal government.

The program provided $49.2 million over four years for palliative care services. The palliative care program began in June 2012 and was due to finish in June 2016. 

It provided funding to services including the District Nurses of Tasmania to facilitate hospice@HOME, and Palliative Care Tasmania. 

The contracts for PCT and the District Nurses for hospice@HOME were extended in April 2016. 

PCT’s funding ended in September 2016, but the organisation worked on short-term projects. PCT provided community education to Tasmanians about end-of-life care.

The service, which has slowly ended staff contracts, was due to completely end last week.

But it was thrown a lifeline by its council, which will use reserve funding to keep the PCT Hobart office open one day a week until mid-2016.

Hospice@HOME will stop accepting referrals after March 31, 2017. 

Death seems like one of those things, it’s either a long way off, or its something you’ll think about ‘when the time comes’ but none of us ever really know when that time will be.

That’s why palliative care and services are so important, not just to Tasmania but to the whole world.

Caring for someone as they become ill to the point of death is an honourable profession and not one that all of us could do.

Sometimes, it’s not even the medical side of things, but to have someone there to offer a kind word or a touch of a hand is all that is needed in those final few days, weeks, months, years.

While Tasmanian palliative care service still exist the federal government does have a role to play in ensuring these services remain active and funded for years to come.

Tasmania has an ageing population and data has shown there will be a dire need for people to staff elderly support services into the future.

Palliative care provides a unique service that is very much needed in Tasmania.