Uganda faces significant gaps in access to palliative care, experts warned on Saturday, citing limited knowledge among stakeholders and a shortage of trained personnel as major obstacles.
Speaking at the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day Commemoration 2025 in Kampala, Mark Donald Mwesiga, Executive Director of the Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCA), highlighted the country’s challenges despite its reputation as a continental leader in palliative care.
‘The country has yet to establish a national-level policy strategic framework to guide the programming and implementation of palliative care at all levels. The number of trained palliative care professionals is still limited to only 300 health facilities providing this form of care in 107 of the 146 districts, leaving out many places without a nearby health facility offering palliative care,’ Mwesiga said.
He explained that community and public health approaches have yet to fully embrace palliative care, leaving services ‘scanty and only implemented by a few charitable stand-alone hospices and a limited number of private hospitals in Uganda.’
Mwesiga also pointed to insufficient data and research as a barrier, noting that Uganda is experiencing ‘a rise in the incidence of non-communicable diseases and an aging population.’
An estimated 500,000 Ugandans currently require palliative care, yet only 11 percent have access to pain relief and related services, according to Ministry of Health statistics.
‘The global theme emphasising universal access to palliative care is therefore applicable to the real needs of Uganda. The World Health Organisation explains that the goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is to ensure that everyone can obtain necessary health services without facing financial difficulties, thereby reducing the risk of poverty due to health-related expenses,’ he said.
Mwesiga stressed the holistic nature of palliative care, urging leaders to understand its role in addressing ‘physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs, ensuring that patients and their families receive compassionate support throughout the course of illness from diagnosis to end of life and into bereavement care.’
Dr Charles Olaro, Director of Curative Services at the Ministry of Health, echoed the call for expanded services.
‘Strengthening palliative care requires skilled practitioners, public awareness, and health system integration. There is a need for intensified advocacy, deeper health integration, and public awareness, ensuring palliative care is recognized as a human right,’ he said.
Olaro added: ‘Every patient deserves to face illness with dignity, love, and compassionate support. Let us continue to strengthen human resource capacity and fund essential palliative and chronic care services, ensuring no one suffers in silence.’
Dr Kedrace Turyagyenda, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports, highlighted the role of schools in fostering empathy. ‘If I don’t teach the heart, I will leave the hands. True education goes beyond grades; it shapes compassionate, empathetic, and humane individuals. Palliative care in schools teaches students to care, to feel, and to act with love. Let’s build a generation that learns not just to excel, but to heal,’ she said.
The event was held under the theme: ‘Amplifying Palliative Care Awareness through Introducing Palliative Care in Primary and Secondary Schools in Uganda.’