Just one organisation provides palliative care services in the Gambia, Future Care Hospice (Table 1).

Table 1 Palliative care provision in The Gambia, 2005

Future Care Hospice was officially registered as a charitable organization in Oct 2004.²

In April 2005, Abel Iqbe (hospice coordinator) reported that the hospice provides home care and day care services. Since the hospice opened, around 200 patients have been cared for. About 25 patients attend day care. Plans for the future include the establishment of a clinic.³

The program includes symptom control, domiciliary care and prevention advice for all sectors of the society who have advanced disease. Objectives of the program are to embark on training nurses to be highly professional and to support the Government effort in the provision of vital preventive and curative drugs for incurable conditions.⁴