The African Palliative Care Association

The African Palliative Care Association (APCA) is a pan-African organisation that was founded in 2003, with its secretariat based in Kampala, Uganda. The organisation currently has a membership of 4553 individuals and 2163 institutions from across Africa and beyond.

Since its inception, APCA's mission has been to reduce pain and suffering for people living with life-limiting illnesses (both communicable and non-communicable) across? Africa. Our work aims to ensure that the patient and the family have access to proven holistic care that includes physical, psychosocial and spiritual care.

This mandate is achieved through four main objectives, namely;

1. increasing knowledge and awareness about palliative care among policymakers, multidisciplinary health worker teams, teaching institutions, ?the media ?and the general population;
2. strengthening health systems through the integration of palliative care into existing services, utilising the WHO building blocks of leadership/governance, service delivery, health workforce, health information systems, access to essential medicines, technologies, as well as financing;
3. strengthening the creation of research evidence for palliative care in Africa, and;
4. ensuring the sustainability of palliative care services across the continent.

APCA works collaboratively with state and non-state actors at the local, regional and international level including: the World Health Organization, the African Union Commission, ministries of health, hospice and palliative care organisations, national palliative care associations, academic institutions, the media and the general public, among others. Since its establishment, APCA has supported palliative care interventions in more than 25 African countries, and reached more than 1 million patients in the last five years.

For more information on APCA’s work and on palliative care developments in Africa, please visit www.africanpalliativecare.org.

Ministry of Health, Republic of Rwanda

The mission of the Ministry of Health is to provide and continually improve affordable promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative health care services of the highest quality, thereby contributing to the reduction of poverty and enhancing the general well-being of the population.

Objectives

In a bid to achieve its mission, the overall objective of the health sector as outlined in the Health Sector Strategic Plan IV (2018 to 2024) is to ensure universal accessibility (geographical and financial) of equitable and affordable quality health services (preventative, curative, rehabilitative and promotional services) for all Rwandans. 

This Overall Objective will be attained through four Strategic Objectives: 

• Full implementation of the main health programs (improve demand, access and quality) 
• Strengthen the health systems building blocks (policies, resources and management) 
• Strengthen all levels of service delivery (organize services effectively at all levels, referrals) 
• Ensure effective governance of the sector (strengthen decentralization, partnership, private sector coordination, aid effectiveness, and financial management)

The ministry’s vision is to pursue an integrated and community-driven development process through the provision of equitable, accessible and quality health care services.