Abstract
The 2nd Uganda Conference on Cancer and Palliative Care was held in September 2019 in Kampala, Uganda under the theme: Towards Universal Coverage. It was hosted by the Uganda Cancer Institute and the Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCAU). The conference brought together 350 delegates from eight countries. Key themes from the conference included: universal health coverage (UHC), service provision and public health; resources for achieving UHC; capacity building; human rights and engagement on the implementation of the recommendations made by the Uganda Human Rights Commission; provision of cancer and palliative care to ‘hard to reach’ and ‘vulnerable’ groups; paediatrics; health promotion and prevention; policy and advocacy and digital technology. The conference also gave opportunity to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the work of PCAU, with a celebration dinner attended by the Minister of Health. The past few years have seen significant developments in both cancer and palliative care in Uganda, and this was evident in the presentations, and the way that provision has changed and improved since the first cancer and palliative care conference in 2017. Emphasis on UHC, along with the support of government and other stakeholders, is important in the ongoing development of cancer and palliative care services in Uganda.
Highlights
Universal health coverage (UHC) means that ‘all people and communities can use the promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective, while ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship’ [1]
With the emphasis on the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) and UHC, Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCAU) is focusing on working with the government and civil society to ensure that no one is left behind and everyone in Uganda has access to palliative care when needed
A wide variety of questions were posed to the panelists, including those on the government plans to achieve UHC, the resources in place and how the proposed National Health Insurance Scheme will help in ensuring access to cancer and palliative care services; what we can learn from other countries, how is the Ugandan Human Rights Commission taking steps to ensure its recommendations are being heeded?
Summary
Universal health coverage (UHC) means that ‘all people and communities can use the promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective, while ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship’ [1]. At the heart of this joint UCI-PCAU conference was the commitment to improve access to cancer care and palliative care within Uganda through UHC, with a desire to share and learn from each other.
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