World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is aimed at supporting hospice and palliative care around the world. The day tries to give a voice of those impacted by life-limiting illness, either personally or by supporting a loved one. World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is observed on the second Saturday of October every year and falls on October 12 this year. Hospice and Palliative care is aimed at showing it as a crucial part in the Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The theme for World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2019 is 'Palliative Care: it's "My Care, My Right'.

The goal of the observance is to improve the quality of life for both the patient and the family. Funded by Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance, the day is dedicated to raising the visibility of palliative care within the global community. It is to provide opportunities to support hospice and palliative care in the form of a unified day of action. The organisation is a network of hospice and palliative care national and regional organisations which support the development of hospice and palliative care worldwide. World Cancer Day: What is Palliative Care and Its Benefits? How is it Different from Hospice Care?

In total, 80 percent of the world's population lacks adequate access to the medications needed for palliative care. Palliative care should be available for all with an incurable illness, regardless of age, race, disease, gender, sexuality or region. However, still, 42 percent of the world has no system available for palliative care. Hence the day tries to increase the availability of hospice and palliative care throughout the world by addressing the issue. To increase the visibility of the day, it is necessary to raise awareness and understanding on various levels like medical, social, practical and spiritual.

It also highlights those living with a terminal diagnosis and the need to raise funds for those in critical situations. The first World Hospice and Palliative Care Day held in 2005 in conjunction with Voices for Hospices. Talking about the observance, Dr Liz Gwyther, Chair of the WHPCA, says, "The Global Atlas of Palliative Care at the End of Life(link is external) estimates that worldwide over 40 million people would benefit from palliative care (20 million of these being at the end of life). However, less than 10 per cent of the need for palliative care is currently being met."

Joan Marston, CEO of the ICPCN, says, "Access to palliative care for children is poor in many parts of the world. Whilst acknowledging that in some countries children's palliative care is well developed, in the majority of countries this is not the case. Therefore it is essential that we use World Hospice and Palliative Care Day to advocate for the development of children's palliative care globally and that we continue to do this until every child who needs it is able to access high-quality palliative care."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 12, 2019 09:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).