Palliative Care Namibia

21/10/2025

02/10/2025

World Hospice & Palliative Care Day – 12 October 2025

The Cancer Association of Namibia (WO30) will join the global community in observing World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on Sunday, 12 October 2025, for the first time under the formal structures of its Palliative Care Namibia programme.

“Palliative care is a critical component of the overall treatment plan and should ideally begin at the point of diagnosis of a life-altering disease. Sadly, in Namibia, it is still often only introduced at the hospice or end-of-life stage. Our goal is to shift this understanding and ensure dignity, pain management and compassionate care throughout the patient journey,” said Rolf Hansen, CEO of the Cancer Association of Namibia (WO30).

The Association is proud to communicate that renovations at our Swakopmund property, which will host the Erongo regional Palliative Care Unit, have officially concluded. The recruitment and training of a specialised care team will now begin, with operations expected to commence in January 2026.

“I am further proud to announce that planning of our third palliative care unit, to be developed in Windhoek West, has commenced this week. Our architect has done a sterling job thus far, and I look forward to working on this project that will surely assist many state patients directly,” Hansen added.

To strengthen access to these services, CAN has established the Palliative Care Fund in January 2025, which aims to support financially vulnerable patients referred from the state system, but who are unable to afford private medical costs. While CAN endeavours to provide meals and accommodation with care to such vulnerable patients, this fund will cover essential medication and medical consumables critically needed for comprehensive palliative care.

“As our first initiative to support the fund, we will host a “Cupcake Sale” ahead of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day. Fellow Namibians are invited to order cupcakes by Wednesday, 8 October 2025. While this fundraiser symbolises a start, we strongly appeal to the corporate and business sector to invest in the Palliative Care Fund, as their sustained

contributions will directly impact state patients needing access to quality palliative care.” Said Hansen.
“In the same way we have established and strengthened the Patient Financial Assistance Programme of CAN, I am confident we can also build the Palliative Care Fund — to afford dignity, quality care, and especially pain management until patients take their final breath.”

How to support
• Cupcake orders: Karin Horn – reception@can.org.na | Tel. 061 237740
• Donor partnerships: Rolf Hansen – ceo@can.org.na

01/10/2025

25/09/2025

Whether you have been walking this path for years or are just beginning to explore it, whether you are part of a hospice team, or you are a clinician, a doula, or someone caring for a loved one, this message is for you. However this work has found its way into your life, these are the words I do my best to live by and carry with me each day.

The most important thing to remember is that you are not a solo act. We are a community. While our approaches may differ, our intention is the same: to support those who are navigating decline, illness, mortality, or the profound moments of preparing to say goodbye. The people we serve depend on us to be a safe place, someone they can trust, and that means leaving our egos at the door.

We are not in competition with each other. None of us will ever know it all. Our role is not to rise by pushing others down but to lift each other up, to extend a hand when someone is struggling, and to remind one another: “I’ve got you, and you are not doing this alone.” Together, we create a community rooted in compassion, trust, and collaboration, ensuring that every human being is cared for with dignity and love at the end of life.

Please, let’s never lose sight of this truth: we are not a solo act, we are a community. The heart of this work is not just in how we show up for the dying, but in how we show up for each other. When we choose connection over competition, and compassion over ego, we create a stronger, more supportive field. And in that space, we remind one another: you are not alone in this work, we walk it together.

xo
Gabby
www.thehospiceheart.net

15/09/2025

We often romanticize death, but the truth is that it is hard. Hard for the one in the bed. Hard for those at the bedside. Hard in the ways that are physical, emotional, and lasting. Death is not always peaceful, beautiful, or good. It is final. It is heavy. It leaves an imprint that does not fade easily.

And yet, within that difficulty, there is something deeply human. In the weight and the struggle, there can still be kindness. A hand held. A body tended to with dignity. A presence that says, “you are not alone.”These moments don’t erase the pain or the finality of death, but they matter.

When we stop sugarcoating death, we allow ourselves to meet it honestly, for what it is, and for what it demands of us: courage, compassion, and the willingness to simply show up.

Death is not always peaceful, beautiful, or good, but it is something we must face. Our hope is to make the landing softer, though sometimes that is beyond our control. This is why honest conversations about death and dying matter: so we can prepare our hearts for the many ways it may unfold, and so we can meet it with as much understanding, compassion, and presence as possible.

xo
Gabby
Hospice and palliative care nurse, end-of-life doula, death educator, author

Please visit my website to learn more about me, who I am and what I offer. You will find blogs, classes, podcasts, and many free offerings that can provide you with support for death, dying, and grief.
❤️
www.thehospiceheart.net

05/09/2025

🎉 Today we celebrate 1 year of medical operations by Palliative Care Namibia - House Zietsman!

A heartfelt thank you to our amazing team, referring doctors, supportive families, medical aid partners, and our community who make this care possible. 💙

Through challenges we’ve grown stronger together.
Happy Birthday, Palliative Care Namibia. 🙏

30/08/2025

Profound is the gesture, and beyond blessed are we, to be entrusted with walking alongside a family on the final journey of their loved one, as they transition from this world to the next.

Palliative care is so much more than hospice care. It is compassionate presence, support, and understanding at a time when the pain is deepest.

When we reflect on the countless messages of gratitude, even families bringing food parcels to our team after a funeral, simply to say “thank you” then one knows that we are learning and growing together.

And in that knowing, we are reminded: "This cause is far too important to ever give up."

Rest in Heavenly peace, Mrs Belinda Engelbrecht 🙏 It was our honour to be with you and your loved ones on this final earthly journey.

18/08/2025

Supportive and palliative care is not just end-of-life care; it's a specialised medical care approach focused on improving a person's quality of life by managing symptoms and side effects of cancer and its treatment.

It can be beneficial at any stage of the cancer experience, including living with cancer and cancer survivorship, to address physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.

Urgent, evidence-based, coordinated action must be taken, otherwise countries, health systems, and communities will be unprepared to meet the growing supportive and palliative care demand, and millions of people around the world will experience preventable suffering.

16/08/2025

The Dignity of Caring.

Can you believe it? Just one year ago our founding medical team reported for duty and what a journey it has been!

At House Zietsman Care Facility of Palliative Care Namibia we have stood together through moments of joy and sorrow: celebrating recoveries, and holding hands in the final moments of life.
Every day, we are reminded that palliative care is not only about medicine, but about restoring dignity and showing love when families need it most.

This year we also welcomed Paediatric Palliative Care, our youngest discipline, offering sensitive, compassionate support to children and families facing the hardest journeys.

It has been a humbling, rewarding, and empowering first year. And this is only the beginning — together we will expand these services to more communities across Namibia.

🙏 Thank you, Namibia, for believing in the power of dignity, compassion, and care. Together we grow stronger. 🙏

Cancer Association of Namibia

08/08/2025

Our Doctor Gerrit Keyter and Counsellor Nazeema Kloppers, ready to welcome you to our stand (number 16) at the 44th Annual Medical Congress at Droombos 8 & 9 August.

04/08/2025

Supportive, palliative, and survivorship care enhance the quality of life for people affected by cancer, addressing the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual challenges.🧡

These services are essential not only for patients but also for families, friends and caregivers, who are integral to the cancer care process.