Our Lady’s Hospice is a palliative care institution in Lusaka that was set up to support hospice care, respite care and pain management but has evolved to provide palliative care for patients with HIV/AIDS, Cancer and related opportunistic infections. Situated in the heart of Kalingalinga, one of the poorest high-density areas in Lusaka, it soon became the medical hub for the residents and surrounding areas, catering exclusively and primarily to the HIV/AIDS.

The Hospice is kept alive through generous donor funding and offers several services including. inpatient palliative care, outpatient ART care, physiotherapy and an exclusive clinic and support group for children. However as worldwide economies began to fail, the domino effect has affected charitable organisations internationally and the funding to the Hospice has also dwindled, forcing the hospice to close several of its key services, namely adult inpatient wards and physiotherapy while it focuses its limited resources on its Outpatient Clinic and Children’s ward, Maluba House.

As the HIV/AIDS management evolved and HIV was no longer a ‘terminal’ illness, the Board focused on expanding the scope of palliative care to Cancer and HIV/ AIDS. The Board also made the decision to move away from the Hospice being a fully donor funded organisation to become a self-sustaining efficient institution. It is widely known that there are very limited facilities for treating cancer in Zambia, let alone palliative care for these patients. As part of offering the expanded scope of services for cancer patients, there is a need to improve the infrastructure. This requires capital investment and the Hospice are organising fundraisers where they hope to raise sufficient funds to support infrastructural changes and commence offering adult inpatient services for Cancer and HIV patients.

Their first event, Buy A Plate For Cancer, will take place on Saturday 31 August at Hotel Inter Continental in Lusaka. This sumptuous luncheon will be served al fresco in the hotel’s lush gardens and what better times to do it as we wave goodbye to winter and welcome spring once again.

For tickets or further information, contact Soraya 0979 799-901; Hari 0979 029-108 or Ren 0971 254-449