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Comprehensive care: palliative care and legal services in South Africa

A fundamental and neglected part of the global response to HIV and AIDS, palliative care is also a critical entry-point for legal services. As Tamar Ezer and Joan Marston write, providing legal services to patients in palliative care can both protect human rights and improve health outcomes. In 2007, a reference committee of palliative care and legal service providers in South Africa began carrying forward an initiative to integrate legal and human rights advocacy and services into hospices and palliative care programs. In a country where 5.54 million people are infected with HIV — almost 13 percent of the population — and where the infection rate among pregnant women is 30.2 percent, this comprehensive package of services is crucial for addressing both acute physical needs and the social dimensions of the epidemic.

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Uploaded on: Mar 27, 2015
Last Updated: Dec 04, 2015
Year Published: 2007


Resource Tags

Resource Type: Practitioner Resources Issues: Community Paralegals, Health, HIV/Aids, Legal Aid & Public Interest Law, Policy Advocacy Tool Type: Journal Articles & Books Languages: English Regions: Sub-Saharan Africa