Francophone course for initiators of palliative care

In May 2014 a Francophone course for initiators of palliative care in sub Saharan Africa was held in Uganda and supported by the UICC workshop programme. This was a joint initiative by Hospice Africa (Soins Palliatifs) France (HAF), Hospice Africa Uganda and the Institute for Hospice and Palliative Care in Africa (IHPCA).

The objective of the course was to equip health professionals who wish to start affordable and appropriate palliative care in their countries with the skills and confidence to do so. The five week course included two weeks of classroom training, two weeks of practical placements with palliative care units in Uganda, and a one week ’training the trainers’ course. The course is practice based and was run in Uganda, an English speaking country, because of the opportunity to observe and practise the Hospice Africa model. Participants are encouraged to share experiences from their own practise.

The 20 participants were doctors, nurses, social workers and a pharmacist from 9 countries and the faculty was made up of former participants from francophone African countries and French speaking practitioners from France and the UK. The participants were required to find the cost of travelling to Uganda but many participants would not have been able to attend the workshop without the financial help received from UICC and HAF.

All participants passed the end of course exam and 86% declared themselves very satisfied with all aspects of the course. Participants from several countries have started advocacy for palliative care in their countries and several have asked for follow up support from HAU.