WHO regional technical briefing: strengthening palliative care in the WHO European Region.

World Health Assembly resolution WHA67.19 highlights the need to strengthen palliative care through the development of national palliative care policies, access to essential medicines for pain and other symptoms, education and training in palliative care for all health-care staff, and the integration of palliative care services into existing health-care systems in the WHO European Region. The inclusion of universal health coverage in its European priorities for the next five years enables WHO to highlight the need for palliative care and provides the opportunity to support authorities in Member States to ensure

that palliative care is developed as part of public health.

Consistent with this commitment to palliative care development, the Regional Office organized a echnical briefing on palliative care. The technical briefing was aimed at those responsible for palliative care at national level in Member States’ ministries of health, decision-makers and those responsible for the development of national policy. In addition, WHO country representatives and those active in the development of palliative care in Member States were invited to attend. The technical briefing was developed in collaboration with experts from a range of organizations and academic institutions with

expertise in palliative care.

Aim and objectives

The aim was to support and strengthen the development of palliative care in countries of the WHO European Region.

The objectives were to:

• establish key emergent palliative care needs in the Region;

• monitor and identify palliative care service development;

• identify opportunities for strengthening palliative care as an integrated component of health services delivery and as part of universal health coverage;

• establish and support implementation of WHO palliative care tools;

• highlight WHO publications on palliative care, including guidelines on the development and implementation of palliative care, palliative care for children, access to essential medicines for pain and symptom management and the newly published palliative care indicators; and

• review available and emerging research and evidence on models of development, provision and integration of services in palliative care, including financing.