Palliative Care Association Rwanda

04/04/2026

Most people use palliative care and end-of-life care as if they mean the same thing - but they don’t. And understanding the difference can genuinely change how we think about serious illness and support.
Palliative care isn’t “giving up.” 📢
It’s about improving quality of life for someone living with a serious illness - whether that’s cancer, heart disease, or another long-term condition. It can begin at diagnosis and run alongside treatment. The focus is on managing symptoms, easing distress, and supporting the person as a whole. 🩷
End-of-life care is different. 👇
It’s a form of palliative care, but it comes into play when someone is nearing the final stage of life. At that point, the focus shifts entirely toward comfort, dignity, and supporting both the person and their loved ones through that final chapter. 🫂
In simple terms:
Palliative care = support at any stage ✅
End-of-life care = support at the end of life ☑️
Why does this matter? Because earlier access to palliative care can make a meaningful difference - not just for patients or residents, but for families too.
These conversations shouldn’t start late. They should start early. 💫

07/08/2025

06/07/2024

11/10/2023

2nd day of Breast cancer surgical preceptorship for Rwanda general surgeons, pathologists, surgical nurses, and anesthestis sponsored by ICI in Rwanda, was happy to be among faculty members which will run from 9-13 October 2023 in Kigali

21/09/2023

By 2030, 1.4 billion people will be aged 60 and over. Yet the majority of health and care systems worldwide remain unprepared for population ageing and associated increases in rates of NCDs and disability. This is particularly true in low- and middle-income countries where over 70% of older people live.

Today, millions of older people and PLWCNDs in these countries are unable to access the services they need or are pushed into poverty doing so.

More than 1 billion people each year face catastrophic health spending, with older households and PLWNCDS among those most at risk.

Urgent action is needed to increase investment to deliver UHC in low- and middle-income countries and to reorient systems everywhere to be fit for an ageing world.

We urge governments to:
• Champion age responsive, disability inclusive and gender transformative UHC that addresses the barriers older people and PLWNCDS face to accessing services, including those related to the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of services, whilst taking action to tackle ageism and discrimination.

• Scale-up efforts to respond to older people’s and PLWNCDS needs for community based and integrated promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative, palliative and long-term care and support services, and access to medicines, vaccines and assistive technologies that promote
healthy ageing

• Meaningfully engage and empower older people and PLWNCDS at all levels in the pursuit of good health and wellbeing

I thank you

27/06/2023