4 September 2022 | The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean presents a special edition of the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal (EMHJ) on palliative care. Featuring six original research articles, three reports, one review, one commentary and two editorials on different aspects of palliative care across the Region, the edition aims to raise awareness of the importance of palliative care across the continuum of care and the benefits of integrating palliative care into health systems. Papers published in the edition highlight:
the status of palliative care in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, including recent developments.
regional priorities for palliative care in relation to policy, health workforce capacity development and service delivery.
priority areas for further research on palliative care in the Region.
Palliative care
Palliative care is the prevention and alleviation of pain and suffering of any kind associated with serious illness. It aims to improve the quality of lives of patients facing life-threatening illness and their families. Palliative care should be an integral component of care for a wide range of life-limiting diseases however, it is often only associated with cancer and end-of-life care. Based on available estimates, only one percent of adults in need of palliative care in the Eastern Mediterranean Region receive it.
The COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered the increasing need for palliative care globally and in the Region and provided a unique opportunity to improve integration of palliative care into health systems as called for in the World Health Assembly resolution 67.19 on Strengthening of palliative care as a component of comprehensive care throughout the life course.
World Hospice and Palliative Care Day | Healing hearts and communities
World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is an annual unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world. On this day, celebrated on 8 October, we must work together to ensure palliative care is accessible to all who need it.
There are many misconceptions regarding palliative care. All too often, it is associated solely with cancer and end of life care. However, palliative care is required for a wide range of chronic diseases in both adults and children. In fact, research has consistently shown that it is a proven cost-saving public health intervention. This is because, when considered early in the course of an illness, it can reduce hospitalizations and the unnecessary use of healthcare services. Going forward, we must work together to ensure palliative care is accessible to all who need it.
