By Dr. Mwate Joseph Chaila, IAHPC Advocacy Focal Point for Zambia; and Dr. Abidan Chansa, IAHPC Advocacy Focal Point for Zambia,
and National Coordinator of Palliative Care, Zambia Ministry of Health
We are proud to announce the launch of the National Palliative Care Strategic Plan 2021-2026 (NPCSP), whose development began in 2019 after the Ministry of Health created the positions of a National Coordinator of Palliative Care Services [Dr. Chansa] and a Cervical Cancer Program Manager [Dr. Chaila]. A team was assembled and, with Ministry of Health funding, embarked on a broad consultative process with key national stakeholders.
The strategy is anchored on the key WHO framework building blocks: service delivery, health workforce, health information systems, access to essential medicines, financing, and leadership/governance.
To improve partner support and advocacy, the plan recommends establishing the Zambia Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance (ZAHPCA), formed by members of various health professional associations, religious groups, and civil society organizations. Its predecessor, the Palliative Care Alliance Zambia (PCAZ), that lasted from 2005 to 2013 when lack of funding forced its dissolution. PCAZ provided palliative care training, capacity building, and technical support for various PC efforts. PCAZ’s legacy is its cohort of trained palliative care workers who now advocate for PC integration and who developed the NPCSP.
Finally, the NPCSP is expected to support the Ministry of Health in implementing universal health coverage in Zambia through promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative care.
Zambia is a country in Southern Africa with an estimated population of more than 18 million people. Palliative care here began with service provision to HIV/AIDS patients by nongovernmental, faith-based, and community-based organizations.
A National Cancer Control Strategic Plan 2016-2021, was created by the Zambia Ministry of Health to prevent, diagnose, treat cancers (including palliative care) to reduce high mortality, due to the common occurrence in Zambia of cancer diagnosis when the disease is far advanced.
The Zambia National Health Strategic Plan 2017-2021 was developed to respond to a high disease burden. It is currently in the process of being updated for 2022-2026.
PCAZ increased awareness among health care workers, supported the integration of palliative care in pre-service nurse training, and led a national palliative care situational analysis. They developed the first draft of the National Palliative Care Strategic Framework (NPCSF), which was supposed to run from 2013-2015, but was never formally adopted.
The lack of a palliative care strategy and limited funding has negatively affected palliative care advocacy in Zambia. The development of this NPCSP is expected to respond to the palliative care needs of the people of Zambia.
To learn more about Palliative Care Alliance Zambia visit the IAHPC Global Directory of Palliative Care Institutions and Organizations.
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