Global healthcare initiatives focus on expanding palliative care access

In observance of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, various healthcare organizations have announced new initiatives and called for improved access to end-of-life services.

In Scotland, the healthcare charity EMMS International has entered a partnership with homecare provider Eidyn Care. The collaboration aims to support people living with life-limiting illnesses through compassionate, person-centred care. EMMS International has previously focused on underserved regions, such as its Sunita Project in rural Nepal, which provided palliative care and pain-relief training to over 84,000 people.

In Nigeria, the Department of Hospice and Palliative Care at University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan held a bazaar to promote palliative care awareness. UCH officials emphasized the necessity of addressing both physical and spiritual distress in patients. Dr. Yetunde Oloyede, Head of the Department, called on the Federal Government to integrate essential palliative services into the National Health Insurance Scheme to reduce the financial burden on patients requiring pain management and specialized treatments.