Introduction

The 7th National Palliative Care Conference, cohosted by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA), is an important event that will bring together key stakeholders to advance dialogue, share best practices, and promote the integration of quality palliative care into Kenya’s health system. The conference, scheduled for 25th to 27th February 2026 in Mombasa, Kenya, offers a vital platform for advocacy and planning toward universal access to compassionate, comprehensive palliative care in Kenya.

Background

Palliative care remains a cornerstone of holistic healthcare, addressing the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of persons facing life-threatening illnesses. In Kenya, approximately 800,000 people require palliative care annually. However, only about 14,552 individuals access these services (KHIS, 2021). The situation is even more dire for children, with less than 5% of pediatric patients receiving the palliative care they need (Kenya Palliative Care policy, 2021). Encouragingly, the number of facilities providing palliative care has grown to over 120, demonstrating a commitment to improving access and support for patients and their families. Despite this progress, significant gaps persist in awareness, accessibility, and integration of palliative care within the broader healthcare system.

 The Ministry of Health (MOH) and Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA) have played pivotal roles in advancing the integration of palliative care into Kenya’s healthcare system. MOH is the national authority responsible for setting and maintaining health policy and regulatory standards in Kenya and has prioritized the integration of palliative care into Kenya’s healthcare delivery system. KEHPCA is the national umbrella body for palliative care and has provided leadership in advocacy, capacity building, technical support, and stakeholder engagement. The advocacy undertaken by KEHPCA and key stakeholders in palliative care has resulted in huge milestones of recognition and scale-up of palliative care in Kenya. KEHPCA has been convening a biennial National Palliative Care Conference in collaboration with key stakeholders.

Purpose

The 7th National Palliative Care Conference 2026 aims to advance the integration of compassionate and comprehensive palliative care in Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage agenda. It provides a platform for stakeholders to assess progress, share best practices, and strengthen multisectoral collaboration in palliative care. The conference will foster dialogue on critical areas such as policy development, sustainable financing, and equitable service delivery while amplifying the voices of patients and caregivers.  Ultimately, it seeks to accelerate equitable access to quality palliative care for all in Kenya, regardless of age, diagnosis, socioeconomic status, or geographic location.

Purpose

1. Access to Palliative Care

Access to quality palliative care remains a critical challenge in Kenya. Currently, these services are provided by over 120 hospices, palliative care units, and community organizations. However, many patients and families continue to face significant gaps in access to palliative care as the centers are not located in all subcounties. Access to pain relief medications, including opioids like oral morphine, is limited, and many patients suffer from preventable pain due to inadequate trained healthcare professionals, medicine stockouts, fears, and myths surrounding opioid use for pain management. To address this, expanding palliative care services to all counties should be a priority, ensuring that every Kenyan has access to comprehensive care regardless of location and status.

The Kenya Universal Health Coverage framework and the Kenya Health sector strategic plan 2023-2027 recognizes palliative care as a core component of health and hence reinforces Kenya’s obligation to ensure equitable access to quality care for individuals with life-threatening conditions.

Kenya has made significant progress in terms of policy development, particularly with the Kenya Palliative Care Policy (2021–2030). This policy aims to improve the quality of life for patients with life-threatening illnesses through the provision of accessible, high-quality palliative care services. Key areas of focus within the policy include:

  •       Integration of palliative care into the public health system, with a focus on the decentralization of services.
  •   Strengthening the regulatory environment to ensure proper distribution and management of pain relief medications.
  •   Collaboration with various stakeholders, including healthcare providers, policymakers, and civil society, to promote awareness and address stigma related to palliative care.

 

The ongoing review of the National Palliative Care Guidelines to ensure it aligns with current best practice serves as an opportunity for standardizing care practices.

 

For UHC to be truly universal in Kenya, palliative care must be fully integrated and resourced within health policy, service delivery, and financing. This ensures that patients with serious illnesses live with dignity, comfort, and support, core principles of both palliative care and UHC.

An empowered workforce is crucial for the growth and sustainability of palliative care services. Kenya faces a shortage of trained palliative care professionals, including doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors, among other professionals. To build an empowered workforce, the following measures are essential:

  •       Training, capacity building, and research: Establishing and strengthening specialized palliative care training programs in Kenya for healthcare professionals at all levels of the health care system. This requires the implementation of comprehensive, innovative, and evidence-based programs, as well as healthcare systems that develop a skilled workforce capable of delivering compassionate and effective palliative care.
  •       Public-Private Partnerships: Engaging private organizations, universities, and NGOs in providing training, skills development, and mentorship programs.
  •       Incentives and recognition: Improve access to specialization scholarships, structured career progression pathways, mentorship, commensurate remuneration to enhance job satisfaction, nature professional growth and sustain motivation.

Palliative care programming in Kenya has traditionally focused on adults, often overlooking critical dimensions that affect diverse patient groups. To ensure comprehensive and compassionate care, it is imperative to broaden the scope of palliative care. There are many unmet needs for children, adolescents, young adults, and older persons. Other overlooked aspects include mental health, sexual & reproductive health, spirituality, and ethical & legal issues. Addressing these gaps requires intentional investment in inclusive, multidimensional programming that responds to the overlooked needs of diverse populations.

An empowered workforce is crucial for the growth and sustainability of palliative care services. Kenya faces a shortage of trained palliative care professionals, including doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors, among other professionals. To build an empowered workforce, the following measures are essential:

  •       Training, capacity building, and research: Establishing and strengthening specialized palliative care training programs in Kenya for healthcare professionals at all levels of the health care system. This requires the implementation of comprehensive, innovative, and evidence-based programs, as well as healthcare systems that develop a skilled workforce capable of delivering compassionate and effective palliative care.
  •       Public-Private Partnerships: Engaging private organizations, universities, and NGOs in providing training, skills development, and mentorship programs.
  •       Incentives and recognition: Improve access to specialization scholarships, structured career progression pathways, mentorship, commensurate remuneration to enhance job satisfaction, nature professional growth and sustain motivation.

For palliative care to be equitable, responsive, and person-centered, it must be grounded in the voices and experiences of those it serves. This is achieved through;

  •       Community Engagement: Involve communities in the development, implementation, and evaluation of palliative care initiatives.
  •       Patient-Centered Advocacy: Encourage the inclusion of individuals and families with lived palliative care experience in public campaigns and training programs to share their experiences and advocate for better services.
  •       Caregiver Support: Provision of training, support programs including respite care for caregivers, who play a vital role in delivering palliative care.

·       Survivorship: It emphasizes ongoing support for individuals with palliative care needs through their treatment and beyond by promoting dignity, autonomy, for improved quality of life. Family members, friends, and caregivers are also considered part of the survivorship experience

  •       Training, capacity building, and research: Establishing and strengthening specialized palliative care training programs in Kenya for healthcare professionals at all levels of the health care system. This requires the implementation of comprehensive, innovative, and evidence-based programs, as well as healthcare systems that develop a skilled workforce capable of delivering compassionate and effective palliative care.
  •       Public-Private Partnerships: Engaging private organizations, universities, and NGOs in providing training, skills development, and mentorship programs.
  •       Incentives and recognition: Improve access to specialization scholarships, structured career progression pathways, mentorship, commensurate remuneration to enhance job satisfaction, nature professional growth and sustain motivation.

Theme: Universal Access to Compassionate & Comprehensive Palliative Care in Kenya