Australia sponsors palliative care resolution

The executive board of the World Health Assembly (WHA) overnight adopted a resolution which calls on member states to ensure adequate access and funding for palliative care services.

Dr Yvonne Luxford, Palliative Care Australia chief executive, said: “This is a hugely significant event for palliative care advocates across the world. This is the first time that there has been a resolution on palliative care considered at this level. It is recognition of the growing importance of this essential health service.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) secretariat’s report estimated that a minimum of 40 million people require palliative care annually. Those aged over 60 years account for 69% of the need.

The report also highlighted that for developing countries such as Australia, this need was only going to grow due to our ageing population and burden of chronic disease.

The resolution called for countries to ensure that palliative care was a core part of health systems, that palliative care was embedded in the basic and continuing education and training for all health workers, and to ensure adequate access to pain medications.

“Even in Australia, which is one of the world leaders in palliative care service provision, we still are unable to meet the palliative care needs of 50% to 70% of those who could benefit from access to these services,” Dr Luxford said.

The Australian federal government played a leading role in bringing this issue to the WHA and was one of the co-sponsors of the resolution.

The resolution will now be referred to the full World Health Assembly which meets in May.

This decision comes ahead of the publication of the Global Atlas of Palliative Care at the End of Life, which will be released by the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance and the WHO today.

The Atlas is reportedly the first publication to outline the need for, and availability of, palliative care across the world.

Read the WHO secretariat’s report and resolution.