Advocacy & National Policy – PatchSA

National Policy Framework and Strategy for Palliative Care

In support of the World Health Assembly Resolution’s call to strengthen palliative care as a component of comprehensive care throughout the life course, South Africa through the National Department of Health has developed a National Policy Framework and Strategy for Palliative Care.

While many people may see hospices and palliative care as a service for people who are dying, the Department sees it as an opportunity to enhance someone’s quality of life – irrespective of which life-stage they are. Part of the Task Team’s objective was to find ways of how palliative care can be integrated into clinics, Community Health Centres (CHC) and hospitals and strengthen home-based care to ensure it is accessible by anyone who needs palliative care.