Palliative Care Association of Zambia (PCAZ)

Pain is a problem for more than 85% of hospice patients in Zambia.  And it has been well documented that over 80% of HIV/AIDS patients experience severe pain at end of life.

PCAZ and the Ministry of Health have been working together to pilot the use of oral morphine in Zambia's hospices.  It is known that oral morphine provides effective inexpensive pain relief in all settings, including those with limited resources.

The training and distribution of oral morphine will begin in hospices in Lusaka in January 2010 and will expand to all hospices in Zambia over the next two years.

PCAZ has been working with a steering group of experts to put robust systems in place to ensure that morphine can be reconstituted, distributed and stored safely and legally before the pilot could begin.  This steering group includes representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Authority, Drug Enforcement Commission, the African Palliative Care Association and The True Colours Trust.  A palliative care specialist and an experienced project manager have been recruited to oversee the project.

The True Colours Trust is providing funding for capacity building and training in the form of salaries for project staff, clinical training and mentoring for hospice staff, data collection and a robust monitoring and evaluation process.

The pilot of oral morphine in hospices contributes to the government's efforts to increase access to pain relief for patients with life-limiting illnesses across Zambia.  The initiative falls within the WHO's priority to increase global access to opioids.  It also contributes towards national efforts to meet citizen's human rights as relief from pain and suffering is considered a human right for both adults and children under the UN Convention on Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.