News
10 October 2015

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2015

The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance turns the spotlight on 'hidden patients' needing palliative care.

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London, 10 October 2015 (WHPCA) - Saturday 10 October marks World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) a unified day of action to raise awareness of hospice and palliative care and to remember all people in need of these services. This year, WHPCD is hosted by the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA), and the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN).

The theme of WHPCD this year is: ‘Hidden Lives / Hidden Patients’, recognising that there are many people and groups for whom the need for palliative care is not recognised, and who are therefore not able to access the care they need.  The 2015 report: Hidden Lives, Hidden Patients focuses on the patients living in unique conditions who often struggle with access to palliative care, including people with dementia, LGBT individuals, people living with HIV, people with disabilities, prisoners and those living in rural settings. In particular children are often neglected and ‘hidden’, with over 20 million children worldwide needing a palliative care approach.

Palliative care should be available for all with incurable illnesses, and it should be provided regardless of age, race, disease, gender, sexuality, or place. Yet 42% of the world has no delivery system for palliative care, and for 32% services only reach a small percentage of the population. In total 80% of the world’s population lack adequate access to the medications needed for palliative care and to treat their pain.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Quality of Death Index report, released ahead of WHPCD, illustrates a great disparity in access to palliative care globally, with higher-income countries clustered at the top of the ranking. However, the report also shows the value of “of innovation and individual initiatives,” with countries such as Mongolia, Panama and Uganda ranking relatively highly due to advances in teaching, national policy and opioid availability.

The aims of WHPCD are to raise awareness and increase the availability of hospice and palliative care throughout the world by creating opportunities to speak out about the issues and understand the needs – medical, social, practical, psychological and spiritual – of people living with incurable illness and their families.

Dr Liz Gwyther, Chair of the WHPCA, said: “The Global Atlas of Palliative Care at the End of Life estimates that worldwide over 40 million people would benefit from palliative care (20 million of these being at the end of life). However less than 10% of the need for palliative care is currently being met.

“This year’s campaign: ‘Hidden Lives / Hidden Patients’ highlights groups that have additional barriers to accessing palliative care. We encourage everyone involved in hospice and palliative care to use World Hospice and Palliative Care Day materials to improve awareness of the need for palliative care, to consider the ‘hidden patients’ and how to reach out to them and help them access the care they need.

Joan Marston, CEO of the ICPCN, said: “Access to palliative care for children is poor in many parts of the world. Whilst acknowledging that in some countries children’s palliative care is well developed, in the majority of countries this is not the case.

“Therefore it is essential that we use World Hospice and Palliative Care Day to advocate for the development of children’s palliative care globally and that we continue to do this until every child who needs it is able to access high quality palliative care.”

Visit the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day website to find out more, download the report, or to join supporters of hospice and palliative care worldwide by registering an event.

For further information contact:
Kate Jackson on k.jackson@ehospice.com or
Tamir Virani on tvirani@bruyere.org tel: +1-800-668-2785 ext. 229


About the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance

  • The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) is an international non-governmental organisation focusing exclusively on hospice and palliative care development worldwide.
  • We are a network of national and regional hospice and palliative care organisations and affiliate organisations.
  • We believe that no-one with a life-limiting condition, such as cancer or HIV, should live and die with unnecessary pain and distress.
  • Our vision is a world with universal access to hospice and palliative care.
  • Our mission is to foster, promote and influence the delivery of affordable, quality palliative care.
  • The WHPCA is registered in the UK where our secretariat staff are currently based.


About World Hospice and Palliative Care Day

  • World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is a unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world.
  • World Hospice and Palliative Care Day takes place on the second Saturday of October every year and Voices for Hospices takes place on the same date every two years.
  • World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is organised by a committee of the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance, a network of hospice and palliative care national and regional organisations that support the development of hospice and palliative care worldwide.

Last update

Friday 07 June 2019

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