Palliative Care Centre

• Palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and that of their families who are facing challenges associated with life-threatening illness, whether physical, psychological, social or spiritual. The quality of life of caregivers improves as well.

• Each year, an estimated 56.8 million people, including 25.7 million in the last year of life, are in need of palliative care.

• Worldwide, only about 14% of people who need palliative care currently receive it.

• Unnecessarily restrictive regulations for morphine and other essential controlled palliative medicines deny access to adequate palliative care.

• Adequate national policies, programmes, resources, and training on palliative care among health professionals are urgently needed in order to improve access.

• The global need for palliative care will continue to grow as a result of the ageing of populations and the rising burden of noncommunicable diseases and some communicable diseases.

• Early delivery of palliative care reduces unnecessary hospital admissions and the use of health services.

• Palliative care involves a range of services delivered by a range of professionals that all have equally important roles to play – including physicians, nursing, support workers, paramedics, pharmacists, physiotherapists and volunteers –– in support of the patient and their family.

Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients (adults and children) and their families who are facing problems associated with life-threatening illness. It prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification, correct assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual.

Addressing suffering involves taking care of issues beyond physical symptoms. Palliative care uses a team approach to support patients and their caregivers. This includes addressing practical needs and providing bereavement counselling. It offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death.

Palliative care is explicitly recognized under the human right to health. It should be provided through person-centered and integrated health services that pay special attention to the specific needs and preferences of individuals.