Palliative care in universal health coverage: What about humanitarian emergency assistance?

Excerpt

In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed by its resolution WHA67.19 that palliative care should be an integral part of universal health coverage (WHO 2014). Palliative care is defined as “improving the quality of life of patients (adults and children) and their families who are facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and correct assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual.” The resolution recommends that the member states of WHO integrate palliative care into their public health systems and make it accessible to their populations in need. Countries are integrating palliative care at different rates; the process tends to be particularly slow in low- and middle-income countries, but some low-income countries have set up palliative care for their patients. For example, Uganda has had palliative care in place for AIDS patients for 20 years. The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance is mapping the evolution of palliative care. …