Njekwa Lumbwe, the National Coordinator of the Palliative
Care Alliance of Zambia has been announced as the guest of honour for the
global premiere of the documentary film ‘A unified presence’.
Lumbwe will be available for questions and discussion after the film offering a unique opportunity for audience
members to hear first-hand experience of some of the challenges to rolling out palliative
care in Zambia.
The short documentary looks at a the global partnership that
was established between PCAZ and the Four Seasons Compassion for Life
and how this grew into a strategic effort to improve access to palliative care
during life-limiting illness or at end of life for patients in Zambia.
Zambia has over one million people living with HIV/AIDS and
only 25 percent have access to medications. In addition Zambia has a high
death rate from malaria, tuberculosis and cancer including the second highest cervical
cancer rate in the world.
This cocktail of a high disease burden has resulted in a
large demand for palliative care. A demand that the country has struggled
to meet. It is thought that this is partly due to the limited resources. For example,
there are just 780 doctors in the whole country. That is approximately one per
16,700 people.
The film was shot in Zambia and North Carolina by Emmy
award-winning filmmakers Dylan and Melanie Trivette.
The film’s premier will be held on Saturday the 22nd
March 2014, at 7 p.m at Hendersonville High School Auditorium, 1 Bearcat
Boulevard. Tickets are $10, and are available in advance. To order your ticket –
click here.
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