Dr Barbara Matthews has lived and worked in the rural Eastern Cape since qualifying with her medical degree from the University of Cape Town (UCT). Initially working in GP practice, she completed her MPhil in 2010 while working in a public private partnership inpatient palliative care unit at a secondary level hospital. Since leaving the hospital inpatient service she has worked for an Eastern Cape based hospice servicing a large geographical area and has been in private palliative care practice since 2022. Her practice includes in-person IDT patient care, hybrid remote IDTs from Still Bay to East London, and fully remote palliative care as part of a virtual team.

Barbara is a serving board member of The Association of Palliative Care Practitioners of South Africa. In addition to clinical work, she is actively involved in writing and research, and has commenced her PhD studies at UCT. Her interests include palliative medicine teaching in health professions education and advocacy issues relating to person-centred equitable access to palliative care.

Outside of the palliative care field, Barbara has a long association with The ICDP Trust/Lebone Centre. She is the chairman of this Makhanda-based NGO working in early childhood development and literacy in vulnerable communities.

Dr Barbara Matthews

MBChB MPhil (Pall Med)
PR09I0732 MP0334596

Palliative Care Specialist

drbarbaramatthews@gmail.com
079 451 4983 (Office hours)
083 236 9395 (Emergencies)

Dr Barbara Matthews has lived and worked in the rural Eastern Cape since qualifying with her medical degree from UCT. Initially working in GP practice, she completed her MPhil in 2010 while working in a public private partnership inpatient palliative care unit at a secondary level hospital. Since leaving the hospital inpatient service she has worked for an Eastern Cape based hospice servicing a large geographical area and has been in private palliative care practice since 2022. Her practice includes in-person IDT patient care, hybrid remote IDTs from Still Bay to East London, and fully remote palliative care as part of a virtual team.

Barbara is a serving board member of The Association of Palliative Care Practitioners of South Africa. In addition to clinical work, she is actively involved in writing and research, much of which focuses on advocacy issues relating to person centred equitable access to palliative care.

Outside of the palliative care field, Barbara has a long association with The ICDP Trust/Lebone Centre. She is the chairman of this Makhanda based NGO working in early childhood development and literacy in vulnerable communities.