Ms. Jill Clements and Ms. Josephine Abalo of the Embassy of Ireland in Uganda with APCA staff at the APCA offices in Kampala.
Last week, the African Palliative Care Association (APCA) was pleased to welcome Ms. Jill Clements, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Cooperation, and Ms. Josephine Abalo, Programme Executive, from the Embassy of Ireland in Uganda to our offices in Kampala.
They met with our Executive Director, Dr. Eve Namisango, and APCA staff as we prepare to present the inaugural Dr. Anne Merriman Excellence in Palliative Care in Africa Award, in collaboration with Irish Aid.
Together, we will present the award to its first winner on 10 October 2026 in Namibia, as the palliative care community marks World Hospice and Palliative Care Day.
About the award
The Dr. Anne Merriman Excellence in Palliative Care in Africa Award was launched by the Government of Ireland in September 2025 at the 8th International African Palliative Care Conference in Gaborone, Botswana. Funded by Irish Aid and administered by APCA, the award is worth €20,000 and will be presented every two years.
It recognises individuals and organisations making an outstanding contribution to palliative care in Africa, whether through innovation, excellent care, research, expanding access to services, or ground-breaking models of care. Nominations were invited from national palliative care associations, health organisations, academics and APCA partners, and each nomination has been assessed against five areas:
- Innovation in service delivery
- Person-centred care
- Improving the quality of life of patients and their families
- Working with patients and their families
- Networking with others to complete the circle of care
Honouring Dr. Anne Merriman
Dr. Anne Merriman (1935 to 2025) founded Hospice Africa Uganda in 1993 and developed a model of palliative care designed for settings with limited resources. She campaigned tirelessly to make affordable oral morphine available across Africa, so that people living with serious illness could be free of pain. A graduate of University College Dublin, she was also a founding member of APCA.
Dr. Merriman passed away in Kampala in May 2025 at the age of 90. The award carries her name so that her vision of compassionate, affordable care, available to everyone who needs it, continues to inspire the next generation of palliative care leaders on the continent.
A shared commitment
Ireland has been a long-standing partner in palliative care in Africa. When the award was launched, the Irish Government noted that at least 25 Irish-initiated palliative care projects have been supported across Africa since 2020, and described the award as a reflection of Ireland's commitment to dignity and compassion in healthcare.
We thank Ms. Clements and Ms. Abalo for their visit and the Embassy of Ireland and Irish Aid for their continued support. We look forward to celebrating this important milestone, and Dr. Anne Merriman's remarkable legacy, with our partners and the wider palliative care community in Namibia on 10 October.
