The palliative care training at Kiruddu National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, was for only two days yet its outcomes are limitless.

One participant, a social worker named Musa, attended the training in June told me, “I have been seeing these people around, the ones of palliative care, but now I know what they do. I am going to work with them.” 

Musa is one of the 26 professionals who has completed the training and now is one of the mentees on the ongoing mentorship with the Palliative care Education and Research Consortium (PcERC).

The PcERC team delivered this jam-packed two-day training in two groups; the first given over September 15-16, 2022, and the second on June 29-30, 2023.

The trainees included nurses, pharmacists, and social workers who are employees of Kiruddu Hospital. Sessions covered the basics of palliative care, with a holistic approach and communication skills training, and how to integrate them in their own profession and setting. 

Daphine, a hospital pharmacist, had several takeaways from the training, as she plans to spend more time with patients and their families. In particular, she wants to practice her new-found communication skills to explain their prescription, identify and address fears, and be sure to educate them on possible side effects and how to manage symptoms.

Daphine and other participants were able to demonstrate their skills through role plays in the training, groupwork, and group presentations with instructor feedback.

They were also given laminated copies of the Pain and Symptom management protocols, to keep at their respective hospital stations for reference. 

The PcERC team received evaluation feedback from the training, with most participants requesting for more time for the palliative care training and about a third specifying that they wanted ongoing training updates on palliative care.

Reported key takeaways were on pain assessment, pain management, communication skills (including breaking bad news) and end of life care.

The hospital administrator, Mr Elisa Mugisha, opened the second group of training in June and spoke on the need for palliative care. “Integrating this kind of care which has been missing is going to be a great asset,” he told the nurses, pharmacists, and social workers.

“In the medical field, it is important to modify the curriculum and to keep improving the curriculum. I would like to encourage the people who are attending to implement this programme and to be sure to let the team know if you have any problems.  We commit to support you.”

After his address, he mentioned to the PcERC team that, “You can even start training every month, and train another group to make critical mass of people in July!”

The support and welcome for palliative care in an integrated Ugandan Ministry of Health hospital cannot be any better than that.

These trainings have been supported by Cairdeas IPCT and we are pleased for the reception from Kiruddu Hospital administration and healthcare professionals. 

Many thanks to all partners for the trainings and ongoing mentorship.