Expanding palliative care

• Relieving serious health-related suffering is a global ethical responsibility. Palliative care is thus a crucial part of integrated people-centered health service. Palliative care is an essential component of sustainable primary health care and a defining component of universal health coverage.
• About ten million people in South-East Asia are estimated to be in need of palliative care, account for about 17% of the global need. Close to 70% of the need for palliative care is due to noncommunicable diseases including cancers and stroke.
• Palliative care services through primary health care facilities are reported to be ‘generally available’, reaching 50% or more patients in need, by only two countries in the region.

WHO South-East Asia Response 

• WHO has supported countries in South-East Asia Region to initiate and strengthen palliative care integrated into the mainstream health care services with focus on primary care. WHO has provided technical support in developing national policy and plans on palliative care and palliative care capacity building. Much of the support in strengthening palliative care is also provided through the WHO collaborating centers.
• WHO convened the South-East Asia Regional workshop on expanding availability and access to palliative care in October 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which supported countries in identifying next steps for expanding palliative care. 
• To support capacity building of health workers and program managers, WHO South-East Asia Regional Office has developed an online self-paced course on Palliative care: Models of service delivery and symptom management.