Needless Pain

Summary

Key Recommendations

Methodology

I. Background

The Importance of Palliative Care and Pain Treatment

Palliative Care for Children in Africa

The Kenyan Context

II. Living with Pain: Children’s Suffering Due to Lack of Palliative Care

The Positive Effect of Palliative Care on Children’s Lives

III. Barriers to Pain Treatment and Palliative Care for Children in Kenya

Palliative Care and Pain Treatment on the Margins

Absence of a Government Policy on Palliative Care

Lack of Availability of Pain Drugs

Health Workers: Lack of Palliative Care Training and Skills

Parents’ and Caregivers’ Responsibilities

Economic Barriers to Pain Treatment and Palliative Care

IV. Kenya’s Legal Obligations Regarding Palliative Care and Pain Treatment

V. The Crucial Role of Kenyan Civil Society

VI. International Donors’ Lack of Attention to Palliative Care

VII. Providing Pain Treatment and Palliative Care with Limited Resources

The Example of Uganda

Detailed Recommendations

To The Government of Kenya

To the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and Other Health Donors

Acknowledgments