The Minister of Health and Social Services, Esperance Luvindao says quality palliative care must be holistic, compassionate, and fiercely person-centred.   

This was revealed in a speech read on her behalf by her deputy, Suzen Ndjaleka, at the commemoration of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day held in Windhoek on Friday.

Palliative care improves the quality of life for people with serious illnesses by relieving pain and managing symptoms while providing emotional, social, and spiritual support to families.

In Namibia, it serves as an essential pillar in the fight against cancer.

According to the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer 2024, Namibia recorded 4,205 new cancer cases and over 2,000 cancer deaths in 2024.

"When our preventative tools are not enough and women present with advanced disease, our duty to them does not end; it transforms. This is where palliative care steps in. It is how we ensure that every patient, regardless of their prognosis, lives with dignity, comfort, and freedom from pain."

Namibia has partnerships with the African Palliative Care Association to integrate palliative care into the country's HIV/AIDS national response plan and other life-threatening diseases. 

"National governments cannot achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) alone. True, sustainable palliative care requires a village. It requires nurses, doctors, dietitians, social workers, spiritual guides, and community health workers operating in perfect synergy."

The Deputy Chairperson of the African Palliative Care Association board, Andre Wagner, pointed out that a reliance on donor funding leaves most hospice providers vulnerable. He added that a lack of a unified voice frequently weakens their advocacy efforts.

"Partner with the government; it's critical, and you have been invited today as stakeholders by the deputy minister to take up that offer. Lead with pain relief priority, train at scale, make sure that you roll out palliative care training, use your data and evidence as leverage and lean on the region."