article · E-Journal of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences
Palliative care in South Africa operates at the crossroads of biomedical practices and established cultural beliefs concerning death. A thematic review of academic literature, policy documents, and ethnographic studies identifies key cultural factors affecting service uptake and acceptance. These include traditional perceptions of illness, ancestral and spiritual beliefs, taboos surrounding open discussions of dying, and the essential caregiving duties assumed by families and communities. Traditional healers and spiritual figures frequently provide vital guidance, rituals, and psychosocial support that biomedical frameworks often miss. When services fail to align with indigenous knowledge and local practices, palliative interventions risk being perceived as culturally inappropriate or inaccessible, particularly in rural and marginalised areas. Consequently, effective end-of-life provision demands collaborative models between healthcare professionals and traditional practitioners to deliver care that is medically sound, spiritually relevant, and culturally acceptable.
End-of-life healthcare often fails when it ignores the cultural and spiritual values of the people it serves. In diverse settings, understanding traditional perspectives on illness and death allows healthcare systems to design services that honour local practices. Fostering cooperation between healthcare workers, families, and traditional healers ensures that terminal patients receive support that is both medically effective and culturally meaningful.
The abstract does not indicate a commercial application pathway, as it represents early-stage conceptual research from a literature review. The findings could primarily inform health ministries, hospice organisations, and training bodies designing culturally integrated palliative care programmes, practitioner training modules, and collaborative community health protocols. Any translation into structured healthcare service delivery models remains at a policy and framework design stage rather than a commercial product level.
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Palliative care in South Africa exists at the intersection of modern biomedical approaches and deeply rooted cultural beliefs surrounding death and dying. This narrative literature review explores how cultural worldviews influence the uptake, provision, and acceptance of palliative care services in South African communities. Using a thematic narrative synthesis approach, the review drew on literature from PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and African Journals Online, including peer-reviewed articles, policy documents and ethnographic studies. Key themes included traditional understandings of illness and death, spiritual and ancestral belief systems, taboos around discussing dying, and the central role of family and community in caregiving. These cultural frameworks shape how individuals and communities understand illness trajectories, define a “good death”, and respond to palliative care interventions. Traditional healers and spiritual leaders often support individuals and families through the dying process by offering guidance, rituals and culturally meaningful care that biomedical services may overlook. The findings highlight the need to integrate cultural sensitivity into palliative care planning and delivery. Culturally responsive care requires acknowledging indigenous knowledge systems, incorporating spiritual and psychosocial dimensions, and promoting collaboration between health professionals and traditional practitioners. Without such responsiveness, palliative care may be perceived as inaccessible or culturally inappropriate, particularly in rural and marginalised communities. The review concludes that inclusive care models that reflect South Africa’s cultural diversity are essential to ensure that end-of-life care is medically effective, spiritually meaningful and culturally resonant.
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DOI: 10.38159/ehass.2026774
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