Confronting global inequities in palliative care

Confronting global inequities in palliative care 
BMJ Global Health; by Anna Peeler, Oladayo Ayobami Afolabi, Katherine E Sleeman, Maha El Akoum, Nahla Gafer, Asmus Hammerich, Richard Harding; 5/15/25

• Palliative care has been shown to improve outcomes, yet only about 14% of people around the world who need it receive it, primarily in high-income countries.
• We describe progress in palliative care development over the last 10 years and identify key systemic barriers to people receiving the care that they need.
• We also make evidence-based recommendations relating to death and health literacy, education and training, sustainable funding, research, opioid availability, and international monitoring to encourage collaborative, coordinated global action in expanding access to quality palliative care services equitably.
• We also provide case examples where targeted action has been successful in improving access to palliative care services to serve as guides for similar contexts.