The African Palliative Care Association (APCA)is a pan-African non-governmental organization headquartered in Kampala, Uganda, dedicated to promoting and supporting the integration of palliative care into health systems across Africa. Founded in 2004 following the Cape Town Declaration (2002), APCA works to ensure access to pain relief and palliative care as a human right for all Africans with life-limiting illnesses.[1]
APCA was founded in Cape Town in 2002 after 28 palliative care trainers from across Africa met together and discussed the need for regional cooperation. The group produced the Cape Town Declaration,[1] which holds palliative care, pain and symptom control as a human right for every adult and child with life-limiting illnesses.[2] APCA however was not formally founded until two years later in 2004.[3]
Since then APCA has continued to state palliative care as a human right, working with Human Rights Watch[4] and the Open Society Foundation,[5] calling on governments to live up to their responsibilities.
Published material
A Palliative Care Handbook for Africa, available on the World Health Association's website[6]
Beating Pain. A Pocket Guide to Pain Management in Africa, in cooperation with AID-STAR ONE[7]
Palliative Care for Women living with HIV and Cervical Cancer, in cooperation with the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa[8]
APCA also provides the editorial oversight to the Africa edition of ehospice news,[9] an online global palliative care news platform.
Notable staff
Dr. Emmanuel Luyirika is the current executive director of APCA. He took up this position in August 2012. Before moving to APCA, Dr. Luyirika worked as clinical director, centre director and ultimately country director for Mildmay International in Uganda.[10]
Dr. Faith Mwangi-Powell was the founding director of APCA and held that position until 2012. Since then went to become the senior program officer for global advocacy with the International Palliative Care Initiative of the Open Society Foundations and in 2019 she became the Chief Executive Officer for Girls Not Brides; a global partnership to end child marriage.[11] She holds a Ph.D. in women's health and development and has published over 20 peer reviewed papers.[12]
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