Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jun 5;18(1):48.
doi: 10.1186/s12904-019-0434-5.

The financing of stand-alone palliative Care Services in Uganda: analysis of the implications for sustainability

Jacinto Amandua  1 , Melkizedeki Stephen Kimaro  2 , Eddie Mwebesa  1 , Ivan Mugisha Taremwa  3 , Christine Atuhairwe  4
Affiliations

The financing of stand-alone palliative Care Services in Uganda: analysis of the implications for sustainability

Jacinto Amandua et al. BMC Palliat Care. .

Abstract

Background: Sustainable funding is key for ensuring the quality and coverage of palliative care services. This study examined the sources of funding for stand-alone palliative care services in Uganda as well as their services financial sustainability plans.

Methods: Researchers conducted a cross sectional survey of all stand-alone palliative care organizations that have operated for five or more years. Researchers administered a questionnaire survey and interviews on the audited financial statements, services provided and sustainability plans.

Results: Nine of the stand-alone palliative care organizations surveyed had operated for five to 25 years. 93% of the funding for palliative care services comes from donations; while 7% is from income generating activities. 94% of the donations are from external sources. The Government of Uganda's major contribution is in the form of medicines, training and payment of taxes. All the organizations had good financial records. Six of the fifteen Hospices/palliative care providers had sustainability plans included in their operational manuals. The older organizations (those that had been operational for more than 10 years) had better resource mobilization capacity and strategies.

Conclusion: The majority of stand-alone palliative care organizations in Uganda are largely donor funded. They have considerable financial sustainability and fund-raising capacity. Government support is in the form of medicines and training. Based on this study findings, the capacity of the stand-alone palliative care services to raise funds should be increased. The Government of Uganda should include palliative care in the national health system and increase funding for these services.

Keywords: Palliative care; Stand-alone; Sustainability; Uganda.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest in this work.

References

    1. Stjernswärd J, Foley KM, Ferris FD. The public health strategy for palliative care. J Pain Symptom Manag. 2007;33(5):486–493. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2007.02.016. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fraser BA, Powell RA, Mwangi-Powell FN, Namisango E, Hannon B, Zimmermann C, Rodin G. Palliative care development in Africa: lessons from Uganda and Kenya. J Global Oncol. 2018;(4):1–10. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization . Cancer country profiles. 2014.
    1. Ntizimira CR, Nkurikiyimfura JL, Mukeshimana O, Ngizwenayo S, Mukasahaha D, Clancy C. Palliative care in Africa: a global challenge. Ecancermedicalscience. 2014;(8):493. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mwangi-Powell FN, Powell PA, Harding R. Models of delivering palliative and end-of -life care in sub-Saharan Africa: a narrative review of evidence. Curr Opin Support Palliative Care. 2013;(7):223–8. - PubMed