Partnerships – the key to success?
Palliative care is a basic right that is desperately needed across Africa to ensure that those dying from life-limiting illnesses receive the support, care and pain relief they need. A key model that the African Palliative Care Association (APCA) has been developing to provide sustainable support for palliative care development on the continent is to establish and maintain viable partnerships with existing and fledging national palliative care associations, and to build links with other champions of palliative care.
APCA’s fourth strategic goal is to encourage the establishment of vibrant national palliative care associations in all African countries. Over the past three years APCA has helped to establish some key partnerships which have led to the growth of these associations. These partnerships work by matching needs with expertise to coordinate effective activities.
Through partnerships APCA is able to provide support on many levels. As a technical assistance organisation, APCA is able to work with the local partner to provide financial support through outside donors, moral support as we work together, help to implement the activities supporting the local staff to work effectively on the ground, and technical support in all areas of palliative care (including advocacy, training, standards, organisational development and sustainability).
At present APCA works with many partners all across Africa, with each partnership focusing on the most culturally appropriate way to educate for and implement palliative care within that specific country. APCA’s partnerships work on three levels that function with different partners all over Africa and internationally.
- Level 1 - American International Health Alliance (AIHA).
APCA has both a north-to-south partnership directly with AIHA and four south-to-south partnerships where, through funding from AIHA, APCA is partnered with a local organisation within an African country to further the work of palliative care within that country.
- Level 2 - United States Government (USG) Team
Through USAID funding APCA is partnered with five countries to contribute to each country’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic by scaling up palliative care provision through a public health approach that strives to balance quality and coverage.
- Level 3 - International partnerships
APCA has many international partnerships, such as the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa and Direct Relief International.
The partnership model is one that APCA is working hard to expand as we look at ways to create more sustainable programmes. Lessons from previous partnerships show that they can be highly instrumental in moving forward palliative care provision and expertise within countries. During the coming years APCA will continue to build on this goal by strategically expanding the partnership work to be a key means of scaling up palliative care in Africa, while ensuring the quality of care given.
Partnerships can be challenging as we try to work together towards one goal. Some areas that can prove to be difficult in partnerships include governments, funds, resources and time. Each of these can, however, be overcome as we seek to explore local solutions to local problems, adapting each partnership programme to specific cultural contexts.
This article is based upon a presentation delivered at the 2nd APCA Palliative Care Conference entitled ‘Palliative care in Africa – Making it real’, held in Nairobi, Kenya, 21-23 September 2007.
Author
Abby Baguma, Partnerships Manager, African Palliative Care Association
Contact: Abby Baguma
Postal address: P.O. Box 72518, Kampala, Uganda
Email: abby.baguma@apca.co.ug