Plans for classroom at children's cancer ward

The Puttinu Cares Children's Cancer Support Group plans to open a classroom on the paediatric cancer ward so its patients can learn while undergoing treatment, support group chairman Victor Calvagna said.

A number of voluntary teachers are willing to help, he said.

The support group has also set up a bereavement support group and would also like to see some of the cancer unit's nurses go abroad to work and gain more experience.

The Puttinu Cares Children's Cancer Support Group was set up a year ago, when the HSBC Cares For Children Fund provided the rights to use the children's characters, Puttinu and Toninu.

As a result of the agreement, the support group acquired a long-term, yearly sponsorship from HSBC, which it uses to carry out its activities.

The group strives to bring everybody involved in the treatment of children with cancer together under one umbrella, including the patients and their families, said Dr Calvagna. The bond that develops between the professionals, the volunteers and the affected families gives the patients the energy to go on in spite of cancer and the devastating changes it brings to their lives, he said.

One of the main aims of The Puttinu Cares Children's Cancer Support Group is to provide families with a national information service on child cancer. Printed material about children's cancer and its treatment is also provided.

The support group includes a number of psychologists, who offer their assistance on a voluntary basis to families experiencing the difficult period.

The group also provides specialist literature and education opportunities for the professional staff. It seeks funding for doctors, nurses and other professionals to attend conferences and training courses abroad, related to the field of paediatric oncology.

In October, a doctor and a nurse from the unit are attending the 35th Congress of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology in Cairo, Egypt. The support group helped to secure sponsorship for the nurse attending the conference, Dr Calvagna said.

The support group also paid the registration fee for nurses from the oncology unit to attend the Paediatric Advanced Life Support course that was organised in Malta and contact has also been made with parents' organisations from overseas so that parent members could attend conferences abroad.

Dr Calvagna said discussions have also been initiated with paediatric oncology hospitals overseas so that nurses from the unit would be able to spend time working in much larger units abroad.

The support group has also found a lot of help from various organisations and individuals, who come to the ward on their own initiative and offer their assistance.

The funds have also been used to organise events, including barbecues, Christmas and carnival parties for the children and for Christmas presents for the patients, as well as to upgrade the pantry on the children's ward.

On Friday, HSBC is holding a dress-down day during which staff pay Lm1 to go to work in casual clothes. For every Lm1 raised by the staff, HSBC donates another, doubling the money raised.

This time, the money raised will go to the Puttinu Cares Children's Cancer Support Group to be spent on various equipment needed at Wonderland Ward.