The Institute of Health Sciences in Gaborone is partnering with the African Palliative Care Association (APCA) in Uganda to strengthen its capacity to provide quality palliative care education and training for pre-service and post-basic students.
Partners are focusing on faculty development on topics in palliative care. They are also working to introduce palliative care into the Institute’s existing pharmacy technology, health education, and dental therapy
programs, as well as to develop organizational capacity in the areas of planning, research, and monitoring and evaluation.
Partners have conducted a sensitization workshop for faculty and staff at the Institute, along with members of the local community. The workshop introduced the concept of palliative care with a particular focus on current
advances in the field in Botswana to ensure that future activities are in keeping with national guidelines.
Partners also conducted a palliative care course for faculty, staff, and other interested parties that focused on an introducing hospice and palliative care concepts. Pre- and post-course evaluations were administered to determine the success of the training. The results
indicated a significant improvement in knowledge and understanding of palliative care, with the pre-test
average of 59 percent climbing to 82 percent on
average for the post-tests.
Upcoming activities for this south-south partnership include:
- an organizational development workshop for
Institute faculty and staff;
- a training-of-trainers course in palliative care that will include clinical placements for practical skills-building; and
- integration of palliative care into the Institute’s
curriculum.
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