The first-ever palliative care session in Africa for ministers of health, at the 4th Regional Palliative Care Conference, will be hosted by Hon Dr Gwen Malegwala Ramokgopa, the Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of South Africa.
The Honourable Minister will lead the adoption process for a consensus statement for palliative care integration into health systems in Africa, which she will read for members of the press.
A photo opp of the ministers and cabinet members will follow the statement. Members of the press will have the opportunity to interact with the ministers towards the end of the meeting.
Details:
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Time: 5h15pm to 5h30pm
Venue: Lobby of Marco Polo Room, Birchwood Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa
The session will be attended by: ministers of health or their representatives from various African countries; senior policy and technical officials from ministries of Health; African Palliative Care Association and Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa directors; chief executive officers of palliative care organisations from within and outside Africa; international development organisations and donors; and national palliative care associations and academic institutions from across Africa. Representatives are also expected from regional networks such as the African Union (AU), and the World Health Organisation’s Africa Office.
The ministers of health palliative care session – the first of its kind in Africa – will provide a platform for ministers to discuss and share their insights into palliative care development within the framework that was agreed at the UN High Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases in September 2011, and consequently the African Union’s (AU) common position on palliative care and access to pain medications. There will also be discussion of the essential elements of a regional strategy for integrating palliative care into African health systems, reflected in a consensus statement that will be adopted by the ministers and delegates attending the session.
The session aims to:
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increase awareness on the progress being made and the innovative approaches being used to strengthen health systems in Africa using palliative care; -
increase awareness of the needs and challenges of people affected by life-threatening and life-limiting illnesses and the role that palliative care plays in alleviating related pain and human suffering; -
facilitate decision making on priority actions to fully address the needs of those living with, and dying from, life-threatening and life-limiting illnesses in Africa, and the needs of their families; and -
through a consensus statement, articulate the essential elements of a regional strategy for increasing access to palliative care, by both adults and children living with, and dying from, life-threatening and life-limiting illnesses.
For more information on the consultation, please contact:
Khutso Rabothata, Communication and Media Manager; Office of the Deputy Minister of Health,
E-mail: RabotS@health.gov.za
Tel: 012 395 8481
Zodwa Sithole, National Advocacy Manager (HPCA)
E-mail: Zodwa@hpca.co.za
Cell: 084 498 1958
Shelley Enarson, Communications Manager (APCA)
E-mail: Shelley.enarson@africanpalliativecare.org
Cell: 079 026 6158
Notes to editors
The meeting will take place immediately before the African Palliative Care Association and Hospice Palliative Care of South Africa’s jointly hosted 2013 palliative care conference.
Dr Emmanuel Luyirika, Executive Director of the African Palliative Care Association, commented on the planned meeting, saying: “This being the first-ever palliative care session for health ministers in Africa, it is a strategic turning point in the effort to reduce suffering among patients with life-limiting illnesses as Africa moves towards entrenching palliative care into health systems.”
Dr Liz Gwyther, Chief Executive Officer of the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa commented: “We are highly appreciative of the health ministers’ recognition of the importance of palliative care. This historic meeting has the potential to make a difference to millions of people in Africa suffering with advanced illness, improving their quality of life and providing freedom from pain. We especially thank our Deputy Minister for her support in hosting this meeting.”
Background
What is palliative care? According to the definition given by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2002, palliative care is “an approach that improves quality of life to patients and their families facing problems associated with life-threatening illnesses.”
About the African Palliative Care Association: The African Palliative Care Association (APCA) works collaboratively with existing and potential stakeholders of palliative care services across Africa to help expand service provision and strengthen health systems by driving palliative care policy and education integration throughout Africa. APCA also works with governments and policymakers to ensure that the optimum policy and regulatory framework exists for the development of palliative care across Africa. Website: www.africanpalliativecare.org
About the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa: The Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa (HPCA) was founded in 1987 as a membership organisation for South African hospices. During the last decade HPCA has established national and provincial palliative care development structures aimed at support and capacity building for member hospices. HPCA is a non-profit organisation that comprises 140 member hospices and 186 service delivery sites, each of which provides palliative care to patients of all ages with potentially terminal illnesses such as HIV and AIDS and cancer. Website: www.hpca.co.za
About Hon Dr Gwendoline Malegwale Ramokgoba Dr Ramokgopa was an anti-apartheid activist who has occupied various leadership positions in student movements, women’s organisations, professional health associations and the African National Congress. As a medical doctor (MB ChB), she attained her Masters in Public Health in 2007. In her various roles and responsibilities, Dr Ramokgopa has demonstrated her passion and commitment on issues of policy, leadership, strategic planning, corporate governance, ethics, accountability and participatory democracy, economic development, youth empowerment and gender equality, as well as quality assurance, innovation and research.
About the APCA/HPCA conference. The conference will be held from 17 to 20 September 2013 at the Birchwood Hotel, Johannesburg. There will be an Opening Reception for conference delegates and invited guests on the evening of 17 September 2013. For a full list and more information, please visit the APCA/HPCA 2013 conference website at: www.africanpalliativecare.org/conference2013/.
Countries to be represented at the meeting by either their Ministers of Health or other government officials include: Botswana, Côte D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, the Gambia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia. There will be development partners from the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Germany, among others.
Keep up-to-date with the conference and its organisers: Follow the conference hashtag #hpmafrica. You can follow APCA on Twitter through @APCAssociation and HPCA on Twitter through.
