PALPRAC news and events
Growing Our Workforce, One Bursary at a Time
Building palliative care capacity means investing in the people who deliver it. Thanks to the generous support of our donor, PALPRAC has awarded a series of bursaries in 2026. Recipients come from areas with limited access to palliative care. Each one is positioned to lead advocacy and service development in […]
Excellence in Deceased Donations course
In February 2026, a few PALPRAC members had the privilege of attending the UCT Excellence in Deceased Donation Course. It was valuable to connect with colleagues committed to learning and, in doing so, strengthening donation practices within our healthcare system. The interactive, two-day, in-person course covered the legal and ethical […]
Celebrate World Hospice & Palliative Care Day 2025 with 50% Off PALPRAC Courses on EMGuidance Academy
On 11 October 2025, the world will come together to mark World Hospice & Palliative Care Day (WHPCD). This year’s theme says it all: “Achieving the Promise: Universal Access to Palliative Care.” And what better way to honour that than by making learning more accessible? To celebrate, PALPRAC is offering […]
PALPRAC Proud to Co-Host the 2025 South African Palliative Care Conference in Durban
From 18 to 21 June 2025, PALPRAC stood alongside APCC and PatchSA as co-hosts of the 2025 South African Palliative Care Conference in Durban. The theme was Revolution. Evolution. Solution. Over 300 healthcare professionals from across the country came together to share, learn and chart the future of palliative care […]
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 […]
Book launch: Griefseed by Malika Ndolvu
I recently had the privilege of attending the book launch of Malika Ndlovu’s new book, Griefseed. Many of you will remember the moving opening performance by this writer, poet, curator, and applied arts practitioner at the 2023 Palliative Care Conference in Cape Town. The launch, held at Exclusive Books in […]
Addressing the Gaps in Palliative Care: PALPRAC and EMGuidance Join Forces
Palliative care remains one of the most underutilised medical services worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Lancet Commission on Palliative Care and Pain Relief’s 2017 report and the WHO’s 2023 report, “Left behind in pain: Extent and causes of global variations in access to morphine for medical […]
Palliative care at the UCT Summer School
The UCT Summer School is an annual initiative by the University of Cape Town (UCT) that brings together members of the public for intellectually stimulating lectures across a variety of disciplines. This much-anticipated event aims to make academic knowledge accessible to everyone, offering a platform for learning and discussion. One […]
Palliative Care Awareness Day in Polokwane: A Heartwarming Success
The PALPRAC team was excited to head to Polokwane for a Palliative Care Awareness Day, hosted on the 5th of December 2024 in partnership with the Limpopo Department of Health. This event brought together participants from all corners of the province, with some travelling from as far as Groblersdal to […]
Celebrating World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2024 with PALPRAC
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to PALPRAC’s e-book project in celebration of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD)! This year’s theme, “Ten Years Since the Resolution: How are we doing?”, encouraged us to reflect on how far we’ve come since the 2014 palliative care resolution, while […]
Highlights from the 2024 PainSA Congress in Durban
The 2024 PainSA Congress recently took place in Durban (17th-19th May 2024) and was a resounding success. Esteemed colleagues from around the world gathered to share valuable insights and discuss advancements in pain management. PainSA, the South African chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain, aims to […]
Breaking the Barriers: Promoting “phila unethezeke” (palliative care) Awareness in Khayelitsha
According to community members, palliative care in Khayelitsha has long been associated with death, making it a sensitive topic for the community. Cultural and spiritual beliefs about death contribute to barriers in accessing palliative care resulting in many community members avoiding discussion and options for palliative care. Our goal in […]
Breaking Barriers: Dr. Natsayi Mujuru’s Commitment to Enhancing Palliative Care Access in Zimbabwe
In our final blog series on the PG- Dip Palliative Medicine offered by UCT, we spoke to Bubbly Zimbabwean-born family physician Dr Natsayi Mujuru, who completed her PG Dip in 2019 and is currently completing her MPhil. She is an esteemed physician based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, working in a hospice […]
Exploring Palliative Medicine: A Conversation with Dr. Rene Krause
At the University of Cape Town (UCT), the Post Graduate Diploma in Palliative Medicine stands as a beacon of education, aiming to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide modern palliative care. We had the privilege of speaking with Associate Professor Rene Krause, Head of Division: […]
Empowering Healthcare Professionals: Exploring the PG Diploma in Palliative Medicine at UCT
The Post Graduate Diploma in Palliative Medicine, offered by the University of Cape Town, has become a sought-after course nationally and internationally for those interested in developing their skills as palliative care practitioners. Tailored for experienced healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, social workers, and others, who seek expertise in caring […]
Health care worker mental distress: there is help!
It was our great pleasure to host the South African Palliative Care Conference 2023 as a collaborative venture between the three leading palliative care organisations in our country, the Association of Palliative Care Practitioners of South Africa (PALPRAC), Palliative Care for Children South Africa (PatchSA) and the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa (HPCA). This pioneering in-person conference took place from 26 – 29 April 2023 at the world-class Vineyard Hotel in the beautiful mother city of Cape Town.
