Palliative Care services in Machame hospital started in 2002, with the total number of 21 patients 18 being HIV/AIDS and 3 with Cancer.  These services came to expand in 2007 when ELCT HQ Palliative Care program got a grant from US Government under the project called CHAT. Through CHAT project, 42 Home Based Care volunteers were trained to support the Team which was by then formed by 5 members (Nurse Coordinator, Pc Nurse, social worker, clinician and a Pastor. Toyota land cruiser was also given to the hospital for Palliative Care services and bicycles for village volunteers.

To date (2014) Machame PC Program has managed to enrolled and serve 1434 patients; 1120 HIV cases, 190 cancer cases, and 124 patients with other chronic illnesses. We have also managed to expand our catchment area from four wards to whole district of Hai and sometimes beyond.  Due to our experience and hard working other institutions have been benefiting from our services as well Example each year we receive medical student from KCMC referral hospital for Palliative Care orientation  and many elective students from abroad who reside in our hospital join the program in outreach  activities.

Along with the grant the ELCT HQ through Global partners in Care (GPIC) formally Foundation for Hospices in Sub Saharan Africa (FHSSA) they manage to connect the project with other hospice partners in United States. Machame Has partnership with the Hospice of Montezuma located at Colorado State.  After the end of CHAT project in 2011, this partnership together with support from other individuals remained to be the backbone for sustainability of Palliative Care Services in Machame Hospital through their financial and material support.

Apart from those partners, Palliative Care Program of the ELCT HQ has remained to be a mother program through its continuing support and guidance.

The program is growing facing the challenge of increasing number of patients with chronic illnesses. As Resources both Human, material and financial to provide care are scarce compare to the number of clients who needs our services.

There are other efforts which are being done to ensure the sustainability of Palliative Care program at Machame which includes the introduction of user fee insurance for Palliative Care service users whereby they contribute little amount of money to support the program operation although only few clients are able to contribute due to most of them being poor but also development of strategic plan which will be shared to different stakeholders in and outside the country.

Since most of our clients are poor the program has been sensitizing on the formation of different support groups and links them to the Government and other organizations available for different support. These support groups aim to empower clients emotionally, socially but most of all economically.     

Our vision is to reach more people who are in need of Palliative Care service with the mission of providing quality holist care to them by respect, integrity, creativity, team spirit and diligence.