Children’s palliative care services in SA are unevenly distributed, with only one public health post for a paediatric palliative care doctor in the country.
The Child Health Priorities Association released a statement today, addressed to the government, raising the alarm about the impact of austerity and budget cuts on the lives of South Africa’s poorest children.
Elsabé Brits investigated the state of paediatric pain management in South Africa and asks what can be done to bring pain relief to more infants and children.
Research conducted in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has estimated that 800,000 children in South Africa are in need of palliative care with fewer than five percent getting it. Experts believe that figure is closer to one million today.