Conference Theme– “Universal Access to Compassionate and Comprehensive Palliative Care in Kenya”

This theme aims to inspire actions and strategies that bridge gaps in palliative care delivery, ensuring all individuals experience dignity and quality of life throughout their health journey.

 Audience: The conference will bring together healthcare professionals, policymakers, researchers, educators, patients, caregivers, development partners, and representatives from civil society organizations, NGOs from Kenya and beyond.

  1. Embedding palliative care in primary healthcare and hospital settings
  2. Training healthcare professionals: enhancing knowledge and competencies
  3. Leveraging community health teams for grassroots palliative care delivery
  4. Psychosocial aspects in palliative care
  5. Ethical considerations and patient rights in palliative care
  6. Holistic Palliative care provision in life-threatening conditions, including NCDs
  7. Institutional Integration: Establishing palliative care in tertiary institutions and academic curricula

1. Aligning local policies with global best practices in palliative care

  • Aligning to WHO, regional, national, county, standards of care, policy, and guidelines.

2. Establishment and implementation of Palliative care in different settings

  • PC best practices in facilities
  • Homecare,
  • In resource-limited areas

3. Sustainable Financing for Palliative Care

  • Local production and supply of oral morphine 
  • Financing for essential palliative care commodities and services.

4. Knowledge, attitude, and behaviour 

  • Addressing health-seeking behaviour within the community
  • Social and cultural aspects
  • Stigma in Palliative Care

 5. Workforce

  • Career Progression
  • Capacity building
  • Wellbeing (intelligence, self-aware, workplace wellness)
  • Care for the carer

  1.  Community-based approaches to holistic palliative care
  2. Cultural considerations and addressing stigma in palliative care, including end-of-life care.
  3. Patient-centered care and advocacy- “Nothing for Us Without Us”
  4. Survivorship and palliative care

This track will explore forward-thinking approaches that are transforming palliative care delivery and education. It will spotlight:

1. Innovative palliative care intervention- 

  •       Emerging models and practices that expand access to palliative care, enhance patient outcomes,
  •       Narration medicine- involves the use of oratory skills, or story telling by patients, their caregivers, including health workers to share lived experiences that may improve health care service delivery.

2. Innovative training, educational strategies, and palliative care messaging

3. Digital and Media Strategies: Leveraging creative arts and multimedia 

4. Innovative palliative care interventions

1. Pain and symptom management

  • Pain assessment
  • Pharmacological mgt-Essential medicines availability, pediatric formulations
  • Non-pharmacological mgt

2. Paediatric PC integration 

  • For different conditions
  • Family integration
  • Communication in paediatric
  • Legal and ethical aspects
  • Perinatal /Neonatal palliative care

  1. Sexuality and  Sexual Reproductive Health in PC 
  2. Geriatric Palliative Care
  3. Mental Health
  4. Pain management
  5. Gender based violence in PC
  6. Spirituality in palliative care
  7. Ethical and legal aspects

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