About World Hospice and Palliative Care Day

What is hospice and palliative care?

Palliative care is a fundamental part of healthcare – and a human right. It is about relieving suffering and pain at any point in a patient’s diagnosis from a life-limiting illness. When a patient and family receive palliative care services, the aim is to improve their quality of life, regardless of their age or stage of the disease.

The World Health Organization defines palliative care for adults and children as follows:
“Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering, the early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.”

According to The Lancet Commission on Global Access to Palliative Care and Pain Relief:
Each year, more than 25.5 million people die with serious physical and psychological suffering as a result of disease, injury or illness. This figure includes 2.5 million children. More than 80% of these cases are in low- and middle income countries, where access to immediate release morphine, an essential and inexpensive medicine to alleviate pain, as well any other type of palliative care, is severely lacking.

What is 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.

When does World Hospice and Palliative Care Day take place?

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day will be celebrated on October 12, 2019.World Hospice and Palliative Care Day takes place on the second Saturday of October every year.

What are the aims of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day?

• To share our vision to increase the availability of hospice and palliative care throughout the world by creating
  opportunities to speak out about the issues.
• To raise awareness and understanding of the needs – medical, social, practical, spiritual – of people living with a life
  limiting illness and their families.
• To raise funds to support and develop hospice and palliative care services around the world.

Who organises World Hospice and Palliative Care Day?

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is organised by a committee of the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance, a
network of hospice and palliative care national and regional organisations that support the development of hospice and
palliative care worldwide.

This year’s World Hospice and Palliative Care Day theme is: ‘My Care, My Right’. This theme speaks to the importance of quality palliative care as a human right that patients and caregivers can demand for themselves and their loved ones.

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