Review of the 2017-2022 National Policy Framework and Strategy on Palliative Care
The National Department of Health hosted a national palliative care workshop on the 14th May 2025 in Tswane to review the National Policy Framework and Strategy on Palliative Care, which lapsed in 2022. Palliative care colleagues from across the country engaged in robust discussions to ensure that access to palliative care for all continues to grow in South Africa. Many PALPRAC members attended and contributed actively to the workshop.
Some of the challenges and opportunities discussed included:
- Developing strong leadership to guide the rollout of palliative care over the next five years
- Establishing the cost of palliative care in the public health sector and securing adequate, sustainable funding for it
- Actively training healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses and community healthcare workers, on palliative care at all levels of the health system
Further work will be required to complete the review of the framework, after which the next steps will be costing and implementation. PALPRAC will continue to support Dr Busisiwe Ndlovu, Director for Non-Communicable Diseases at the NDoH, in the completion of this project.
