Article: Relieve the suffering: palliative care for the next decade

Abstract: Just over a decade ago, the World Health Assembly unanimously resolved that palliative care is an ethical responsibility of health systems; however, access to palliative care remains abysmal in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).^1–3 More than 73 million people worldwide experience serious health-related suffering (SHS) each year that is amenable to palliative care⁴—a figure projected to grow exponentially.⁵ Yet, only about 12% of all people and 2% of children with SHS receive palliative care, and most of them are in high-income countries;² people in LMICs account for over 80% of the global need.^2,4 Although calls for more and better palliative care policies, education, research, and funding have been repeated,^3,4,6–10 effective implementation strategies to drive access improvements in the next decade are urgently needed. In this Comment, people with lived experience of serious illness, representatives from global and regional palliative care organisations and relevant Lancet Commissions, among other key actors, provide guidance to substantially increase palliative care access by implementing innovations and expanding partnerships across professions and specialties in preparation for the 2025 World Health Assembly, and thereby to measurably relieve suffering in the decade ahead.