Eastern Africa comes together to discuss palliative care and non-communicable diseases

The meeting, held in Kampala and co-hosted by the African Palliative Care Association (APCA), the Ugandan Ministry of Health and the Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCAU), met to discuss advocacy and implementation strategies in the lead up to the African Union (AU) Ministers of Health meeting in Addis Ababa later this month. 

The meeting was made possible through a cooperative agreement with the LIVESTRONG Foundation. The British Department for International Development (DFID) also provided additional support for some participants. 

The meeting in Kampala attracted delegates including palliative care experts, NCD alliances and policy makers from across Eastern Africa. Ministries of Health, NGOs and health care professionals were all well represented.

Speaking at the event, Dr Isaac Ezati, the Director of Planning and Policy at the MoH in Uganda, who represented the Hon. Minister of Health, Dr Christine Ondoa commented:

“Sub-Saharan Africa has a disproportionate burden of both infectious and chronic diseases compared with other world regions…Most patients with NCDs in Uganda and Sub-Saharan Africa present late where curative treatment is not very feasible. This means that palliative care is a critical option to the response towards NCDs.”

He continued, “I applaud…the African Palliative Care Association for conceptualising and providing technical support towards this meeting. I believe…that the meeting will bear significant deliverables that will constitute guidance [on palliative care] to African Governments.”

The Executive Director of APCA, Dr Emmanuel Luyirika welcomed the meeting saying:

“I am sure that we will have, as a result of this meeting, help for countries in Africa to integrate palliative care in their NCDs response. Over and over again delegates have made the point clearly, ‘palliative care needs to be a central pillar in governments’ response to NCDs’.”

He continued, “This meeting however also acts as a learning forum for different countries to ensure we take best practice, where ever it is found, and implement it at  national  and regional level but also throughout the whole of the African Union.”