{"id":9181,"date":"2025-11-24T13:13:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T13:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/?p=9181"},"modified":"2026-04-20T16:00:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T13:00:37","slug":"a-tribute-to-dr-anne-merriman-1935-2025-the-mother-of-palliative-care-in-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/a-tribute-to-dr-anne-merriman-1935-2025-the-mother-of-palliative-care-in-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tribute to Dr. Anne Merriman (1935\u20132025): The Mother of Palliative Care in Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A monumental figure in global health Dr. Anne Merriman (MHSRIP), the visionary humanitarian and undisputed <strong>\u201cMother of Palliative Care in Africa,\u201d<\/strong> died on May 18th, 2025, at the age of 90. Her legacy is defined by the establishment of <strong>Hospice Africa Uganda (HAU)<\/strong> in 1993. This organization was founded on her radical principle: bringing affordable, holistic, and compassionate palliative care to people across Uganda and, eventually, much of Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DR  ANNE MERRIMAN MEMORY LANE\" width=\"1150\" height=\"647\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Vv5WMg3JUWY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Anne Merriman&#8217;s contribution to the <strong>Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCAU)<\/strong> is foundational and multifaceted, extending from its establishment to providing an enduring model for its mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dr. Merriman stands as a <strong>founding member<\/strong> and the <strong>Founding Vice-Chair of the Board<\/strong> of PCAU, an organization birthed from her vision in <strong>1999<\/strong> (with its official registration as an NGO occurring in 2003). Her unwavering leadership was pivotal in forging a powerful national association that passionately unites palliative care providers across Uganda, creating a stronghold for compassionate care.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PCAU\u2019s remarkable journey is firmly built upon the inspiring, community-centered model that Dr. Merriman so courageously pioneered through <strong>Hospice Africa Uganda (HAU)<\/strong>, which she established in 1993. HAU\u2019s extraordinary success proves that affordable, holistic, and culturally sensitive palliative care including the life-saving use of <strong>oral liquid morphine<\/strong> is not only possible but essential even in resource-challenged environments. PCAU\u2019s mission to fortify healthcare systems and amplify access to palliative care stems from this transformative model, ensuring it flourishes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Her tireless advocacy for crucial policy reforms, such as urging the Ugandan government to permit the importation of morphine and, vitally, empowering <strong>nurses and clinical officers to prescribe it<\/strong>, has forged a foundational legal and clinical framework that PCAU passionately upholds. This groundbreaking achievement is vital in expanding access to palliative care within a nation grappling with a shortage of doctors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PCAU\u2019s noble mission to uplift and empower palliative care professionals in Uganda is magnificently supported by the robust training infrastructure established by Dr. Merriman, primarily through the <strong>Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care in Africa (IHPCA)<\/strong>, proudly located at HAU.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#0e8040\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\">The <strong>Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCAU)<\/strong> remains forever grateful for Dr. Anne Merriman&#8217;s tireless advocacy and foundational support. As a Founding Member and Vice-Chair of the Board, she did not merely establish the framework for palliative care in Uganda; she continuously supported the national body she helped create. Her commitment was personal: she literally stood by the organization, never missing PCAU&#8217;s key events, including their Annual General Meetings (AGMs) and Annual Dinners. In recognition of her pivotal role, PCAU honoured Dr. Anne Merriman with the <strong>Annual Merit Award in 2017<\/strong> for her monumental contribution to the founding of the association and the overall development of palliative care in Uganda. Dr. Anne was also awarded <strong>posthumously a Medal of Honour from the President of Uganda, H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni<\/strong>, June 9, 2025 in recognition of her lifelong work on palliative care in Uganda and Africa.<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-tiled-gallery aligncenter is-style-rectangular\"><div class=\"\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__gallery\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__row\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\" style=\"flex-basis:31.70180%\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" data-height=\"1024\" data-id=\"9194\" data-link=\"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/a-tribute-to-dr-anne-merriman-1935-2025-the-mother-of-palliative-care-in-africa\/anneobudu1970\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AnneObudu1970.jpg\" data-width=\"632\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pcauganda.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AnneObudu1970.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\"\/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\" style=\"flex-basis:68.29820%\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" data-height=\"1920\" data-id=\"9196\" data-link=\"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/a-tribute-to-dr-anne-merriman-1935-2025-the-mother-of-palliative-care-in-africa\/anne-8\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Anne-8-1024x768.jpg\" data-width=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pcauganda.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Anne-8-1024x768.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\"\/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__row\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\" style=\"flex-basis:53.45918%\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" data-height=\"2560\" data-id=\"9198\" data-link=\"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/a-tribute-to-dr-anne-merriman-1935-2025-the-mother-of-palliative-care-in-africa\/anne-9\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Anne-9-768x1024.jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pcauganda.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Anne-9-768x1024.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\"\/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\" style=\"flex-basis:46.54082%\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" data-height=\"665\" data-id=\"9199\" data-link=\"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/a-tribute-to-dr-anne-merriman-1935-2025-the-mother-of-palliative-care-in-africa\/lead-technologies-inc-v1-01\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0-70aNNE-014.jpg\" data-width=\"865\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pcauganda.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0-70aNNE-014.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\"\/><\/figure><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" data-height=\"1920\" data-id=\"9200\" data-link=\"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/a-tribute-to-dr-anne-merriman-1935-2025-the-mother-of-palliative-care-in-africa\/anne-1\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Anne-1-1024x768.jpg\" data-width=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pcauganda.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Anne-1-1024x768.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\"\/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A monumental figure in global health Dr. Anne Merriman (MHSRIP), the visionary humanitarian and undisputed \u201cMother of Palliative Care in Africa,\u201d died on May 18th, 2025, at the age of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[134],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dr-anne-merriman"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9181"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9544,"href":"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9181\/revisions\/9544"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pcauganda.org\/new-progress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}