Dr Merriman: Grandmother of palliative care dies at 90
Dr Anne Merriman. Photo/Courtesy/Hospice Africa Uganda
What you need to know:
- Dr Merriman, often called the "grandmother of palliative care" in Uganda, dedicated her life to delivering compassionate healthcare and building systems to serve patients facing life-threatening illnesses like cancer and HIV/AIDS.
- Her death came just five days after she celebrated her 90th birthday.
Dr Anne Merriman, the founder of Hospice Africa Uganda (HAU) and a global pioneer of palliative care, has died at the age of 90. Revered in Uganda and internationally as the “mother” or “grandmother” of palliative care in Africa, Dr Merriman passed away peacefully at her home in Munyonyo, Kampala, on Sunday, May 18.
Her death came just five days after she celebrated her 90th birthday surrounded by friends, caregivers, and the extended “Ugandan family” she so deeply cherished. Hospice Africa Uganda and the Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCAU) confirmed her passing yesterday, describing her as an inspiring and selfless visionary whose lifelong mission was to ensure that critically ill patients, especially in resource-limited settings, live—and die—with dignity and without pain.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our founder, Dr Anne Merriman, peacefully in her 90th year,” said Ms Prossy Nakyanja, the executive director of HAU.
“Her life was a testament to compassion, innovation, and unwavering dedication. We mourn her deeply, but we also celebrate a remarkable legacy that will continue to impact generations,” she added.
A mission born of compassion
Born in Liverpool, England, in 1935 to Irish parents, Dr Merriman felt called from a young age to serve the poor and the sick. She joined the Medical Missionaries of Mary in Ireland in the 1950s and trained in medicine at University College Dublin.
After working in Nigeria, she later left the religious order but continued her medical service with unrelenting devotion. Her career spanned the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, and Kenya, where she gained broad experience in tropical medicine, geriatrics, and community health. It was in these settings that she witnessed the immense suffering of patients with life-threatening illnesses who had no access to pain relief or end-of-life care.
That experience ignited her lifelong mission: to bring palliative care to Africa, starting with Uganda. Founding Hospice Africa Uganda In 1992, Dr Merriman founded Hospice Africa in her native Liverpool as a charity with a singular vision: to provide culturally appropriate, affordable palliative care across Africa.
A year later, after conducting feasibility studies in four African countries, she and her colleague, Nurse Mbaraka Fazal, launched Hospice Africa Uganda from a modest two-bedroom house loaned by Nsambya Hospital. With only a few months’ funding, they began delivering home-based care to patients with terminal conditions—most notably cancer and HIV/Aids—often in extreme pain.
Dr Merriman’s simple but transformative solution was oral morphine: an inexpensive, easy-to-administer painkiller that could be made locally.
In 1993, Uganda’s then Minister of Health, Dr James Makumbi, approved the importation of powdered morphine despite concerns over misuse. With support from pharmacists in Singapore, Dr Merriman formulated a low-cost oral solution, paving the way for a new era in pain management.
Today, that formulation is produced at HAU and distributed freely by the Ugandan government to eligible patients.
Dr Anne Merriman (right) carries a baby during the Hospice Africa Uganda 30th anniversary celebrations in Makindye, Kampala in October 2023. Photo/Tonny Abet
A national and continental legacy
Dr Merriman’s model of care—patient-centred, community-based, and cost-effective—became the blueprint for palliative care in Africa. Under her leadership, HAU expanded to include Mobile Hospice Mbarara and Little Hospice Hoima, extending services to more regions. She also established the Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care in Africa (IHPCA), which offers diploma, bachelor’s, and master’s programmes in partnership with Makerere University.
To date, the institute has trained hundreds of healthcare professionals from more than 37 African countries. Her advocacy efforts helped found the Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCAU) and the African Palliative Care Association (APCA), creating networks and policy frameworks that continue to shape palliative care delivery on the continent.
PCAU, in a tribute on social media, wrote: “Last night the candle for the Grandmother of Palliative Care in Africa stopped burning. But her love, compassion, and unwavering dedication to comfort those in pain will continue to live in all of us she inspired. Fare thee well, Anne Merriman.”
Recognition and honours
Dr Merriman’s work earned her international acclaim. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2003 for services to health in Uganda and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. In 2013, the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, awarded her the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for her humanitarian contributions abroad.
She also received honorary doctorates from institutions including University College Dublin and Edge Hill University, and in 2016 was named UCD Alumnus of the Year in Health Sciences. She was an Honorary Professor of Palliative Care at Makerere University and an Honorary Teaching Fellow at Lancaster University in the UK. In her later years, she documented her journey in two books: Audacity to Love: The Story of Hospice Africa (2010) and How the Light Got In (2023), the latter released to mark the 30th anniversary of HAU.
A life of faith, family
Though no longer a nun, Dr Merriman remained deeply spiritual. At her final birthday celebration, despite her frailty, she delivered a heartfelt message to her guests: “I want to tell you all—the team, the patients, the family—I love you. Our love comes from God and our compassion comes from the example of the good Samaritan. Compassion is such an important thing, not only in our work, but also with each other.” She added, “There is nowhere I would rather be looked after than here in this house by my Ugandan family and the nurses from Uganda.”
Dr Merriman was the last of her immediate family. She is survived by her first cousins in the UK—Michael Merriman, Eileen Evans, and Patsy Beddoe-Stephens—as well as nieces and second cousins in Ireland.
She is also mourned by her Ugandan caregivers Anne Bisaso, Margaret Kazibwe, and Alice Kabaseke, and their families, who cared for her lovingly in her final years. Her funeral is scheduled for Wednesday tomorrow in Kampala.
Concern.
“Her life was a testament to compassion, innovation, and unwavering dedication. We mourn her deeply, but we also celebrate a remarkable legacy that will continue to impact generations,” Prossy Nakyanja, executive director of HAU.
Career at a glance
• Founded Hospice Africa Uganda (1993)
• Legacy: Brought affordable oral morphine and home-based care to Uganda and Africa
• Impact: Over 35,000 patients served; professionals trained from 37 African countries
•Honours:
o MBE (2003, UK)
o Nobel Peace Prize nominee (2004)
o UCD Alumnus of the Year (2016)
o Presidential Distinguished Service Award (Ireland, 2013)
• Author: Audacity to Love and How the Light Got In
