Expanding quality palliative care services

A number of challenges across the cancer care spectrum were identified in the Kumasi situation analysis, notably in the field of palliative care. These included limited human resources, lack of protocols/policies, no national essential medicines list and a lack of palliative care units.

At the end of the project, well-established palliative care clinics will run in the identified centres, generating increased awareness of palliative care in the community as well as among all cadres of healthcare practitioners in the centres. These centres will be staffed by trained professionals and be supported by established, designated palliative care service sites, which will ensure that patients receive quality services at each of these facilities.

A local multidisciplinary, inter-institutional team was assembled to produce the plan for the development of palliative care departments/clinics within the organisational structure of public and private hospitals offering cancer care services in Kumasi, in consultation with local and external experts nominated by the technical cooperation partners of City Cancer Challenge (C/Can).
The selected project team members conducted scientific visits to the African Palliative Care Association (APCA), a C/Can partner institution, and the final outputs will be endorsed by the City Executive Committee and the relevant authorities for implementation.