Paediatric palliative care in South Africa

Abstract

South Africa is a pioneer in paediatric palliative care in Africa. For the past 30 years advocates, the medical community, organizations, and the government have worked together to advance paediatric palliative care. One cannot deny the great need for palliative care given the impact that HIV/AIDS has had on the South African society. Yet, even under circumstances of poverty, infrastructure building, and high HIV/AIDS rates, the provision of paediatric palliative care continues to expand. As of 2010, there were 60 programmes providing paediatric palliative care under a variety of models. Despite this success, South Africa continues to face challenges in providing care to children with other life-limiting illnesses other than HIV/AIDS and having an adequate number of health care workers. As the country grows and develops economically, this also may have negative impacts on paediatric palliative care as donors may divert funds to other countries perceived to have greater needs. Finally, it is important to realize the role that the Hospice Palliative Care Association (HPCA) of South Africa has played in expanding paediatric palliative care. HPCA made the decision in 2007 to hire a paediatric manager which has allowed for the organization to specifically focus on, and create a strategy for, the expansion of paediatric palliative care.