World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2026
Imagine if…
Every person who could benefit from palliative care received it.
Across South Africa, accredited palliative care providers are already helping people with serious illnesses to live as well as possible, for as long as possible. But too many people reach palliative care late – or not at all.
If the care already exists, what needs to happen to make sure everyone who could benefit from it can reach it?
The future we are imagining already exists
- Imagine palliative care becoming part of a person’s journey early enough to make a difference.
- Imagine patients receiving support for physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs while families and caregivers are supported too.
- Imagine that care being recognised, accessible and sustainable.
South Africa does not need to imagine what compassionate, specialist palliative care looks like.
Every day, APCC member organisations demonstrate what is possible.
The challenge is making sure that quality palliative care is recognised, sustained, introduced earlier and available to everyone who could benefit from it.
Imagine if every person who could benefit from palliative care received it.
For too many South Africans, palliative care comes too late or is never considered at all.
When introduced at the right time, it can support quality of life, help manage symptoms and provide support to patients and families throughout serious illness.
Real Lives. Real Care.
Zinhle
Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust
A patient story showing what compassionate palliative care can mean in the life of a person living with serious illness.
A Young Mother
Estcourt Hospice
This mother’s story reminds us that healing is not always a cure; sometimes it is renewed strength, restored dignity, and the hope to embrace each new day.
Claude
Greendale House
A family perspective on the difference compassionate palliative care can make not only to a patient, but to the people around them.
Thabang
CHoiCe Trust
Thabang*, five, lives with his family in a community outside Tzaneen, Limpopo Province. CHoiCe Trust’s social worker brought clarity and relief. He needed the right medical care, and now he has a team behind him to get it.
Imagine if every healthcare professional understood when palliative care should begin.
Palliative care is still too often associated only with the final stages of life.
It can begin much earlier, work alongside active treatment and support people living with a range of serious illnesses.
Earlier recognition means earlier conversations, earlier support and, where appropriate, earlier referral.
What do palliative care professionals wish more healthcare professionals understood?
East Rand Palliative Care
Jonquil Siepman and Dr Sinalo Maleho
Perspectives from professionals working within palliative care on the role it can play within a patient’s wider healthcare journey.
Midlands Hospice
Diane Godfrey, Physiotherapist
A multidisciplinary perspective on palliative care and the contribution different healthcare disciplines can make to quality of life.
Helderberg Hospice
Heidi Hendricks, Social Worker, and Cheryl Rundle, Donor Relations
Perspectives from within a palliative care organisation on the human and multidisciplinary nature of care.
Imagine if we understood what it takes to provide this care every day.
Behind every patient story are people bringing clinical expertise, compassion and commitment into the lives of patients and families.
Their experiences show us not only what palliative care does, but why it matters.
Voices from APCC member organisations
Imagine if every South African knew that quality palliative care was already available.
Palliative care can support people living with serious illness in different settings, including at home.
But people cannot access services they do not know exist.
The APCC represents and strengthens a national network of member organisations providing palliative care across South Africa and supports quality improvement through accreditation.
Find support near you
If you or someone you care about is living with a serious illness, you do not have to wait until the final stages of illness to ask about palliative care.
From imagining to action
What needs to happen?
If South Africa already has a network of palliative care providers, what needs to happen to ensure that every person
who could benefit from these services receives them?
Every stakeholder has a role to play.
Healthcare professionals
Introduce and refer to palliative care earlier.
Give patients and families the opportunity to benefit from support sooner.
Medical schemes
Consistently recognise and reimburse accredited palliative care providers.
Recognition within benefit structures is essential to sustainable access.
Government and policymakers
Strengthen sustainable support and integration.
Recognise quality palliative care within healthcare planning and delivery.
Corporates and donors
Invest in the sustainability of palliative care.
Support organisations that provide specialist care within communities.
Communities
Support the organisations providing care close to home.
Local support helps essential services remain available.
Patients and families
Ask about palliative care earlier.
Palliative care can be provided alongside treatment and does not mean that hope has ended.
Imagine it
Much of what we are imagining already happens every day.
Across South Africa, APCC member organisations demonstrate what quality, compassionate palliative care can make possible.
The challenge now is to ensure that it reaches everyone who could benefit from it.