World Hospice & Palliative Care Day: Leave No One Behind

Ahead of this year’s World Hospice & Palliative Care Day on 9th October, each day we will be sharing news, initiatives and campaigns from Willowbrook Hospice to show our community how we are committed to equity and equality of care. We believe everyone should have access to palliative and end of life care, no matter who they are or what their background is. We will also be raising awareness and understanding of the needs of people living with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

Palliative care is not part of universal health coverage or national health systems in most countries across the world. For years palliative care has not been adequately funded. We need World Hospice & Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) to shine a light on the inequity in access to palliative care across the globe. This includes lack of equitable access for most people living in low and middle income countries, neonates, children and young people, those that are homeless, LGBTQ+ people, people living with physical or mental impairment, people who are incarcerated, those living in humanitarian crisis situations, the elderly, those living with HIV and TB and all those that have been affected by Covid-19.

Willowbrook Hospice stands behind the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) message today that governments across the world must finance palliative care for all people in their countries.

• 88% of the worldwide need for palliative care is not being met, meaning millions of children and adults are being left behind – equity in access is a human right.
• Across the world, children and adults with palliative care needs are suffering and in pain because there is not equitable access to care. We must work together on World Hospice and Palliative Care Day to eliminate the barriers that keep the status quo.
• Palliative care is essential to relieve pain and suffering, physical, psychological, social and spiritual related to COVID-19 – no one must be left behind.
• Health workers must be trained, supported, equipped, and financed to ensure there is equity in access to palliative care for all children and adults across the globe.
• To ensure equitable access is available to all children and adults who need it, palliative care must be mainstreamed into a country’s health care system, including through Universal Health Coverage reforms.

Today we pledge to continue raising awareness and working towards the WHPCA vision of a world with universal access to hospice and palliative care.

Willowbrook Hospice is one of the UK members of the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA), an international non-governmental organisation focusing exclusively on hospice and palliative care development worldwide and a global voice on hospice and palliative care. World Hospice & Palliative Care Day is an annual unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world. This year’s theme is “Leave no-one behind – equity in access to palliative care”.