Developing Palliative Care Globally: Facing the Challenge

While at the 20th International
Congress on Palliative Care in
Montreal, Canada last September, it
became apparent to all delegates that palliative
care and its important role in caring for people
with life-limiting and threatening conditions was
not recognised globally. On close scrutiny of the
United Nations (UN) Millennium Sustainable
Development Goals for 2015-2030, it became
clear that palliative care was an obvious omission.
This seemed odd considering that HIV/
AIDS, sexual abuse, child mortality, and poverty
(to name just a few) all featured prominently in
the goals. The other oddity was that the UK, well
known as the birthplace of modern palliative
care, was one of three countries charged or
tasked by the UN to spearhead the nature and
scope of the millennium goals.