Report highlights global need for palliative care

The Atlas of Palliative Care at the End of Life Professor David Clark The Executive Board of the World Health Organisation is to receive the first ever report on the global need for palliative care. Professor David Clark, Associate Academic (Institute of Health and Wellbeing) at the University of Glasgow is one of a dozen experts worldwide who have contributed to its creation. The Atlas of Palliative Care at the End of Life is the statistical resource for much of the information included in the report. This follows the adoption of a stand-alone resolution on palliative care on Thursday 23 January 2013 by the World Health Organisation's Executive Board. The Executive Board, meeting in Geneva, will hear that an estimated 5.5 million late stage cancer patients and 1 million people with AIDS each year are suffering severe pain without treatment. The report identifies the key challenges to successful growth in palliative care as: as a lack of health policies, research, and training. Palliative care, while still a relatively new component to modern healthcare, is increasingly recognised as an essential part of all healthcare systems.