Hospice Week: KZN Health MEC calls for support for the mentally ill

This comes as South Africa commemorated Hospice Week, which runs from May 1 – 8.

Hospices are care centers for terminally ill patients, young and old, who suffer from, among others, AIDS, drug resistant tuberculosis, neurological disorders and end-stage organ failure. Since most of the patients in hospices cannot be treated, hospices aim to at least alleviate pain and symptoms of disease as much as possible.

MEC Dhlomo says that the Department has formed partnerships with NGOs such as the Hospice Palliative Care Association (HPCA) and the Hospice Association of KwaZulu-Natal (HAKZN) in all 11 Health Districts.
Combined, they currently control 21 Hospices, taking care of a total of:
• 46 611 HIV positive patients
• 3 555 Cancer patients
• 12 480 Chronic ill patients, and
• 11 669 children with different health conditions

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