Improving Access to Pain Medication and Palliative Care for All in Africa

At the beginning of 2015, the African Palliative Care Association (APCA) published its Annual Report 2013-2014 highlighting the incredible work that has been carried out as part of its mission objective: to ensure that palliative care is widely understood, integrated into health systems at all levels and underpinned by evidence.

The APCA was a collaborating partner on the ESMO-led Global Opioid Policy Initiative.

An important area of this mission is 'Medicines Availability' and key achievements include:

• Partnership with the Pain Policy Studies Group of the University of Wisconsin (US) to pilot the first African Pain Policy Fellowship (APPF) programme aimed at empowering health care practitioners
• Launch of a study on supply chain mechanisms, estimating procedures and consumption of opioids in four countries
• Support on improving access to pain medications, especially opioids, in 12 countries
• Technical assistance for governments on opioid importation 

Read the full APCA Annual report 2013-2014

Visit the APCA website

Watch the APCA and Al Jazeera interview on access to morphine in Uganda