Only 20 countries across the world have palliative care well integrated into their health-care systems, says report
“Only 1 in 10 people who need
palliative care, or medical care to relieve the pain, symptoms and
stress of serious illness, are currently receiving it,” says a recent
report released by World Health Organization (WHO).
Published jointly by WHO and Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance (WPCA),
the global atlas has highlighted that availability of palliative care is
a challenge for the world.
According to WHO, in 2001, over 29 million people across the world died
from diseases which required palliative care. The present estimated
number of people in need of palliative care, at the end of life, is 20.4
million.
Among those who need palliative care, total 94 per cent are adults of
whom 69 per cent are over 60 years old and 25 per cent are 15 to 59
years old. As per the WHO, six per cent of those who need such care are
children.
Contrary to the common belief that only cancer needs such assistance,
WHO has emphasised on many other diseases where people need palliative
care. To ascertain this, the world health agency has examined prevalence
of pain in specific diseases to find out whether they need the facility
or not.
Diseases that demand palliative care
For adults, the international body has named these diseases as
requiring palliative care: Alzheimer’s and other dementias, cancer,
cardiovascular diseases (excluding sudden deaths), cirrhosis of the
liver, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, kidney failure, multiple sclerosis,
Parkinson’s disease, drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB).
Among children, those afflicted with cancer, cardiovascular diseases,
cirrhosis of the liver, congenital anomalies (excluding heart
abnormalities), blood and immune disorders, HIV/AIDS, meningitis, kidney
diseases, neurological disorders and neonatal conditions need such
care.
The greatest number of children in need of palliative care died from
congenital anomalies, followed by neonatal conditions, protein energy
malnutrition, meningitis, HIV/AIDS and cardiovascular diseases.
The atlas has also talked about income groups which need care the
most. According to the report, in 2011, approximately three million
patients received palliative care, the vast majority at the end of their
life. Although maximum palliative care is being provided in high-income
countries, almost 80 per cent of the need for palliative care is in low
and middle-income countries.
“Only 20 countries across the world have palliative care well
integrated into their health-care systems, says the report. It further
adds that the great majority, 78 per cent of adults in need of
palliative care at the end of life, belong to low and middle-income
countries where it has not got sufficient attention from local
government.
However, the highest rate of people (per every 100,000 adults), in
need of palliative care, is found in the higher income groups.
WHO, in its report, has insisted that palliative care refers to the
approach that takes care and improves the quality of life of patients
and their families facing problems associated with life-threatening
illness.
