The Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) has opened a new palliative care centre at Swakopmund to bring dignity and comfort to cancer patients.

Palliative care is specialised medical care for people who live with serious or life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer. The main aim is to improve the quality of life, not to cure the disease.

CAN has identified a need to open a centre at the coast because patients previously had to travel to Windhoek to receive care.

The association's Chief Executive Officer, Rolf Hansen, who lost his mother to COVID-19, said the mission was born after realising there were gaps in palliative care in Namibia.

"Black, white, pink, purple, old, young, rich, poor – where do our cancer patients go? Nowhere. We're told there's nothing more we can do for you curatively; you must go home now. And in our African culture, we're used to looking after the elderly, the sick, and the vulnerable at home. But cancer is not a very easy disease to treat just at home with wound care and pain management. So we made it our mission to find solutions to these challenges and to build a palliative care programme for Namibia."

Community fundraising has played a critical role in supporting this mission, with the annual Rough and Tough Rally initiative raising N$6.2 million, while Langer Heinrich Uranium contributed over N$2 million.

Representing the Minister of Health and Social Services, Erongo Governor Natalia |Goagoses, who lost her brother and parents to cancer, hailed the initiative.

"To the people of Erongo, this centre is your sanctuary. It is a place where fear is replaced by guidance, where isolation is replaced by community, and where pain is replaced by peace. We affirm today that dignity is not a privilege for the few. It is a fundamental human right for all."

This 10-bed facility will provide specialised pain management, wound care, and emotional support for patients.