Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Addressing End-of-Life Care in Cancer Patients through “Ubuntu”: Lessons Learned from Rwanda in Global Health Perspective of Humanity

  • Gynecologic Oncology (C Feltmate, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Obstetrics and Gynecology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 21 February 2017

Abstract

Multi-disciplinary palliative care is rarely integrated into the public health care system at all levels in Africa. In Kigali, Rwanda, we have developed palliative care services for cancer patients and other incurable diseases, such as renal and heart failure, progressive neurologic diseases, and late stage HIV/AIDS for pediatric and adult patients in a district hospital and linked these services to home care. This article aims to describe palliative care in Rwanda and to address end-of-life care issues in a post-genocide society.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

  1. Republic of Rwanda Ministry of Health. Rwanda National Palliative Care Policy. Kigali: Government of Rwanda: 2011. Retrieved from http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pnaed053.pdf. Accessed 10 September 2016. This document will help the reader to understand the vision of the Rwanda Ministry of Health to adopt a stand-alone national policy in palliative care.

  2. Lutz S. The history of hospice and palliative care. Curr Prob Cancer. 2011;35:304–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Lewis M. Medicine and the care of the dying: a modern history. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2007.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Saunders C. Care of the dying 3. Control of pain in terminal cancer. Nurs Times. 1959;23:1031–2.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Seymour J, Clark D, Winslow M. Pain and palliative care: the emergence of new specialties. J Pain Symptom Manag. 2005;29(1):2–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. World Health Organization. Cancer pain relief. Geneva: World Health Organization ; 1986.Retrieved from http://www.whocancerpain.wisc.edu/?q=node/169. 11-30-14

    Google Scholar 

  7. Vargas-Schaffer G. Is the WHO analgesic ladder still valid? Can Fam Physician. 2010;56(6):514–7.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Mount B. The Royal Victoria Hospital Palliative Care Service: a Canadian experience. In: Saunders C, Kastenbaum R, editors. Hospice care on the international scene. New York: Springer; 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  9. World Health Organization. WHO definition of palliative care. Retrieved from www.who.int/cancer/palliative/definition/en. Accessed 10 September 2016. The definition of palliative care adopted by all members of state, which encompass the holistic approach, mean physical, social, psychological and spiritual.

  10. Clark D. International progress in creating palliative medicine as a specialized discipline. In: Hanks G, Chreny N, Christakis N, Fallon M, Kaasa S, Portenoy R, editors. Oxford textbook of palliative medicine. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Uwimana P, Struthers J. Met and unmet needs in patients living with HIV/AIDS. J des Aspects Sociaux du VIH/SIDA. 2007;4(1):575–85. The article was among the first one written by a Rwandan student to address the needs of palliative care from patients with HIV/AIDS.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Stjernsward J. Palliative care: the public health strategy. J Public Health Policy. 2007;28:42. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jphp.3200115.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care et al. Montreal Declaration on Hospice Palliative Care. Hospicecare.com 2014:15:10. Retrieved from http://hospicecare.com/about-iahpc/newsletter/2014/10/announcements/. Accessed 10 September 2016.

  14. Connor S, Bermedo M. Global atlas of palliative care at the end of life. London: Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance; 2014 .It is one of the best documents in palliative care published, which describes in details the services available around the world, challenges and opportunities.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Drobac P., Basilico M, Messac L, Walton D, Farmer P. Building an effective rural health delivery model in Haiti and Rwanda. In Farmer P, Kim J, Kleinman A, Basilico M,. Reimagining global health: an introduction. Berkeley: University of California Press: 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Spence D, Merriman A, Binagwaho A. Palliative care in Africa and the Caribbean. PLoS Med. 2004;1:27–30. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0010005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Stjernsward J. Uganda: initiating a government public health approach to pain relief and palliative care. J Pain Symptom Manag. 2002;24(2):257–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Republic of Rwanda Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. Rwanda vision 2020. Kigali: Government of Rwanda: 2000. Retrieved from http://www.rdb.rw/uploads/tx_sbdownloader/Vision_2020_Booklet/pdf. Accessed 10 September 2016.

  19. Montgomery S. (2014). Rwanda: 20 years later. Montreal Gazette. Retrieved from http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/rwanda+years+later/9674013/story.html. Accessed 10 September 2016.

  20. Munene G. Rwanda one year on: what has changed since the launch of a stand-alone palliative care policy? 2012. Retrieved from http://www.ehospice.com/africa/Default/tabid/10701/ArticleId/1259. Accessed 10 September 2016.

  21. Ntizimira C, Nkurikiyimfura JL, Mukeshimana O, Ngizwenayo S, Mukasahaha D, Clancy C. Palliative care in Africa: a global challenge. ecancer 8: 493. Doi:10.3332/ecander.2014.493

  22. Greene J, Basilico M, Kim H, Farmer P. Colonial medicine and its legacies. In Farmer P, Kim J, Kleinman A, Basilico M. Reimagining global health: an introduction. Berkley: University of California Press: 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Ntizimira C. Dying with dignity: hope for Rwanda as a post-genocide society. 2015. Retrieved from http://www.ehospice.com/africa/Default/tabid/10701/ArticleId/14704. Accessed 10 September 2016. The article describes in details the challenge to provide palliative care services in a post complex humanitarian crisis society like Rwanda and how to address the need.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. AORTIC (African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer), African Cancer Leaders Institute Fellow, KK 242 Street, Kicukiro District, Kigali, Rwanda

    C. R. Ntizimira

  2. Kigali, Rwanda

    S. Ngizwenayo

  3. Center for Palliative Care, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    E. L. Krakauer

  4. Vassar Brothers Medical Center, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA

    M. L. Dunne

  5. Lincoln Community Health Center, Durham, NC, USA

    E. Esmaili

Authors
  1. C. R. Ntizimira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. Ngizwenayo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E. L. Krakauer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. L. Dunne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. E. Esmaili
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. R. Ntizimira.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

C. R. Ntizimira, S. Ngizwenayo, E. L. Krakauer, M. L. Dunne, and E. Esmaili declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Gynecologic Oncology

An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13669-017-0195-1.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ntizimira, C.R., Ngizwenayo, S., Krakauer, E.L. et al. Addressing End-of-Life Care in Cancer Patients through “Ubuntu”: Lessons Learned from Rwanda in Global Health Perspective of Humanity. Curr Obstet Gynecol Rep 5, 273–278 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13669-016-0186-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13669-016-0186-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation