Holistic Palliative Care
Our approach to Palliative Care
A highly trained team of palliative care nurse specialists work across HAU’s three clinics in Kampala, Hoima, and Mbarara delivering accessible and affordable care to the critically ill and those with life-limiting illnesses.
Over the past 32 years, we have supported more than 40,000 patients through home visits, outreach and roadside clinics, hospital consultations consultations, and outpatient care at HAU sites. Our holistic approach addresses not only physical pain, but also emotional, social, and spiritual needs—tailored to each patient's cultural background.
We go beyond medical care. When needed, our teams provide food and basic supplies, ensuring dignity and comfort for the most vulnerable. Each site is supported by trained Community Volunteer Workers—the vital link between our clinical teams and the communities we serve. They are our legs, eyes and ears in the community, ensuring no one is left behind.
Importantly, no patient is ever turned away due to inability to pay the modest fee.
Our goal is simple yet profound: to ensure that patients can live—and die—where they prefer, mostly in their own homes, pain-free, with peace and indignity, surrounded by their loved ones.
Pain and symptom relief
Relieving pain and managing symptoms is a cornerstone of our palliative care at Hospice Africa Uganda. We are committed to ensuring that our patients are as comfortable and pain-free as possible, especially in the face of serious illness.
A key part of this care is the use of affordable oral liquid morphine, which we produce under licence from the Government at our headquarters in Makindye. This essential medication enables us to effectively manage severe pain for patients with cancer and other life-limiting conditions—often in the comfort and dignity of their own homes.
Outreach Services
Our outreaches and roadside clinics play a vital role in delivering holistic palliative care to underserved populations, including urban informal settlements and refugee communities. These clinics provide essential services such as:
- Clinical assessments and medication management
- Health education and awareness
- Referrals for specialist care
Community volunteers are integral to the success of our outreach services, working closely with our clinical teams to support patients in need. We currently operate 11 outreach clinics and roadside clinics monthly across:
- Kampala (4 clinics)
- Hoima (4 clinics, including Kyangwali Refugee Settlement)
- Mbarara (3 clinics, including Nakivale Refugee Settlement)
These services are lifesaving for patients who face barriers in accessing healthcare due to distance, poverty, or other challenges. Through our outreach clinics, we provide:
- Clinical reviews and medical consultations
- Medication replenishment
- Health education
- Linkages to other care providers for joint care
Our outreaches and roadside clinic services improve the quality of life for patients and families in need.
Spiritual & bereavement support
At Hospice Africa Uganda, we believe that true care goes beyond physical treatment. Providing spiritual and bereavement support is a vital part of our holistic approach—optimising comfort, dignity, and peace to both patients and their loved ones.
We recognise that serious illness affects not just the body, but also the mind and spirit. That’s why our support is tailored to meet each individual's cultural background and personal beliefs. Whether someone holds a specific faith or none at all, we are committed to being a reassuring presence—bringing calm and compassion during difficult times.
Our journey with patients does not end at death. We continue to walk alongside families, offering grief and and bereavement support, home visits, and attending burials when possible. Reflection and remembrance are important parts of healing, and we strive to ensure that the spirit of Hospice Africa Uganda lives on in the hearts of those we care for.
Psychosocial support
Psychosocial support remains a cornerstone of HAU’s holistic care approach. Many patients and families face financial hardships which are heightened by the fact that serious illnesses and costs associated with medical tests and treatments add to struggles. Our support extends to addressing social and emotional needs, helping families navigate the challenges associated with long-term illnesses.
Daycare
Our Daycare Programme provides support to patients and their caregivers. Patients spend a day at HAU sites under the attentive care of nurses and volunteers, where they enjoy a supportive environment and connect with others facing similar challenges.
These interactions foster encouragement and resilience and help patients cope with their illnesses. Meanwhile caregivers benefit from a much needed respite and a day off.
Road to Care Programme
The Road To Care (RTC) programme focuses on enhancing the quality of life for vulnerable women diagnosed with early cervical cancer. It supports women with access to oncology treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, helping to remove financial barriers and alleviating the symptom burden of the disease. In the financial year 2023/24 the programme supported a total of 423 women through cervical cancer screening, investigations and treatments. The women are also accomodated in a hostel beside Mulago Hospital. Among these 366 women were newly enrolled in the programme while 57 women continued their care from the previous year.
Give a Chance Programme
Our long running Give a Chance (GAC) programme aims to empower vulnerable children and survivors of cancer and serious illness, or whose families have been affected by illness, by providing educational support.
The programme funds primary, secondary, and vocational education.
Key aspects of the Give a Chance project are:
Educational Support:
Providing tuition fees for children attending primary, secondary, and vocational schools.
Target Population:
Focusing on children who are cancer survivors, vulnerable children, or whose families have been affected by serious illness.
Family Support:
Beyond education, the programme aims to provide socio-economic support to the children’s families.
Global Support:
GAC receives funding from various countries, including the UK, Ireland, USA, and France.
Impact:
The project has helped hundreds of children complete their education, including some who have graduated from senior four and primary level seven.
Patient Support / Comfort Fund
At Hospice Africa Uganda, our Patient Support Fund plays a vital role in easing the financial burdens faced by patients and their families during times of serious illness. Available across all three of our sites, this fund ensures that those most in need receive essential support including food and medical tests that enhances their comfort, dignity, and quality of life.
The fund provides for:
1. Essential Medicines - Ensuring access to vital medications for pain relief and
symptom control.
2. Holistic Support - Covering emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual care to support the whole person.
3. Transport Assistance - Including travel to and from medical care, and transport back to the village at the end of life, if desired.
4. Basic Necessities - Lodging, clothing, and bedding for patients without stable shelter.
5. Nutritional Support – Supplying food for the most vulnerable and food-insecure patients.
Through this fund, we stand beside our patients with compassion, dignity, and love - ensuring no one faces the end of life alone or in need.