Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association has partnered with Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB) to train more than 400 primary healthcare providers in palliative care.
The pact will first see 70 medical officers, nurses and clinical officers from five counties trained through funding from the Tropical Education Health Trust (THET) Global Health Workforce programme between May and July.
Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA) executive director Mackuline Atieno said each of the 70 healthcare workers trained would then mentor five others on the palliative care approach.
KEHPCA is a national membership association for palliative care in Kenya with a vision of palliative care for all.
Atieno said the training targets to improve palliative care services within the LREB comprised of 14 counties with a population of 15 million people, which has a high burden of conditions that require palliative healthcare.
The one-year- mentoring approach will empower more than 400 primary healthcare workers drawn from Homa Bay, Kisii, Kisumu, Vihiga and Trans Nzoia counties, who are expected to reach over 1,700 patients by the end of 2024.
“Each of the mentored healthcare workers will use the palliative care approach to five patients,” she said.
Speaking during an inception meeting to launch the program in Kisumu on Tuesday, Atieno said the training will focus on 15 hospitals, including the county hospitals and two high-volume subcounty hospitals in each county.
Under the program, Atieno said, each county hospital will select eight healthcare professionals while each subcounty hospital with select three.
The training will be delivered online with some participants also undertaking palliative clinical placements, and is expected to cost Sh 13,200 ($100) per trainee.
LREB counties Bomet, Homa Bay, Vihiga, Kisumu, Kisii, Kericho, Siaya, Migori, Nyamira, Kakamega, Busia, Bungoma, Trans Nzoia and Nandi counties.
The region experiences a high disease burden, with conditions such as HIV, TB, sickle cell, and cancers among others, that benefit from palliative care.
The executive director noted that palliative care and hospice services are essential in managing chronic illnesses in the region.
“We believe that working with LREB and county leaders is essential in supporting such strategies as well as the national government initiatives which look at building capacity in the health sector,” Atieno said.
Palliative care is an integrated service that improves the quality of life for people with life-threatening conditions throughout their life journey.
The prevalence of communicable diseases, the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases, and the late diagnosis and treatment of cancers make palliative care an essential part of Kenya’s health services.
Palliative care and patient support are included in the Kenya frameworks such as the health law and the Kenya National Patients’ Rights Charter.
Atieno said counties are required to adopt palliative care within their health priorities.
“The palliative care policy 2021-2023 is a guide and critical reference points towards implementation and attaining the highest standard of palliative care in Kenya,” she said.