Government Decision Nourishes Hope for Action in Cameroon
A recent government decision to name "palliative care services" as part of the mandate of Cameroon’s public hospitals has given advocates in that country new hope. "It is the beginning of the solution," comments Jiofack Fulbert Kenfack, president of Santo Domingo-SEG Cameroun, which was instrumental in advocating for the change.
"People may sign decisions, but if you don't follow up, the decisions will not be acted upon," he adds. "That is why this is only the beginning. If we keep quiet, the decision will not move forward." Until Parliament approves a palliative care law, he says, implementation of the decision will be limited.
Kenfack notes that Dr. Manaouda Malachie, a receptive Minister of Public Health, has been key to the discussion. Since his appointment in 2019, Malachie has spoken regularly about the need to “humanize care." "The ministry is looking at all the minimum standards of care," says Kenfack. "While adding the words 'palliative care' is a big step forward, it is important to not let the pressure stop."
Stakeholders are being asked for input, and proposals to aid in implementation of the decision will be gathered at the upcoming Cameroon National Conference of Hospice and Palliative Care (COCASP) in October.
Plans to sustain pressure include: organizing a dinner for parliamentarians attending the conference; and inviting dance troupes from all cultural communities in the country to perform. Kenfack says, "Dance is a way to express yourself, and all of these groups will have one goal: to support our proposal to entrench palliative care in the health care system."
A progress report on palliative care in Cameroon was published in 2020.
Readers may also be interested in these related regional Literature Search articles:
‘Integrating children’s palliative care through the professional colleges in Ghana,’ International Children’s Palliative Care Network, 25 July 2024. (website posting)
‘Health care providers’ perspectives on the need for palliative care in Upper Egypt: A descriptive exploratory study including children and adult patients,’ BMC Palliative Care. Posted online 15 June 2024. Full text
Read more of this week's issue of Pallinews
Years of advocacy pay off with 2 mentions of palliative care in United Nations decisions
Also: advocacy actions with global import, & upcoming IAHPC seminars on spiritual care (in September) & the state of care work (in October).
Movie review
When You Die trilogy of films encourage conversations around death and dying. Reviewed by Dr. Michael Barbato.
Plus
What's New in the IAHPC Calendar.
Abstract submissions are now open for the 2025 Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network conference. The deadline is November 14, 2024.