Integration of Palliative Care in Rwanda

Since 2011, Rwanda is one of two countries in Africa to have a policy of palliative care. This is part of the government’s concern for the country to take over the health of the human person in his/her entirety. RPCHO has come to participate in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health through RBC and in partnership with Hospice Without Borders (HWB) and the ROROS Foundation, in order to promote palliative care, especially for the most vulnerable patients with life-limiting illness by starting Home Based Care in palliative care, but also with the available range of expertise in the organization, to strengthen the institutional capacity, and to promote operational research for better monitoring of the integration of palliative care quality into the health system.

Home Based Palliative Care guards patients against long hospital admissions, maintains social cohesion for the family, and increases patient comfort through culturally appropriate home visits, and allows them to face positively and pragmatically death, while maintaining their spirituality.

Through the RPCHO Mobile Unit, three staff (Clinical Coordinator, Nurse and Driver) conduct home based palliative care activities in the City of Kigali. These services include : managing pain ; preventing bedsores ; managing other symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea ; helping patients cope with worries and fears ; dispensing home treatments ; supporting adherence to treatment plans ; providing spiritual and religious support, and end-of-life care. In additional to that, RPCHO members provide support as volunteers in Medical, Social, Psychological and Spiritual domains.

in one Day of Release and Renewal training in October 17th, 2016 retreat organized by our Partners from Hospice Without Border (HWB) in visit in Rwanda.