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ALEXANDRIA, Va, Oct. 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To mark World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2019 (October 12, 2019), the U.S.-based National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization joins thousands of people in around 80 countries will be coming together to celebrate, support and speak up about the importance of hospice and palliative care.
This year’s World Hospice and Palliative Care Day theme is ‘My Care, My Right’ and aims to communicate that palliative care can be demanded by the public - and that, together, every person impacted by a life limiting illness can influence their policy makers to prioritize palliative care financing under Universal Health Coverage.
“The numbers are huge and so is the unmet need as only a minority of countries have implemented equitable palliative care programs through a public health approach. This year’s World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is about collectively saying, palliative care is the right of every man, woman and child. Together we can stop unnecessary pain and distress during illness and at the end of life,” says Dr. Stephen Connor, Executive Director of the WHPCA.
Campaign activities around the world include a 500 person Voices for Hospices concert in the United Kingdom, a TEDx style public speech in Shanghai, China, a public hearing on palliative care in the Sorcoba court of law in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as well as public events and celebrations across the world.
To find out more about World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2019, visit www.worldday.org.
In the U.S., NHPCO is working to help raise awareness of hospice through its innovative My Hospice Campaign; learn more at www.myhospicecampaign.org.
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1 Knaul FM, Farmer PE, Krakauer El, et al. Alleviating the access abyss in palliative care and pain relief—an imperative of universal health coverage: the Lancet Commission report. Lancet. 2017; (published online Oct 11.) http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32513-8
Jon Radulovic National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization 703-837-3139 jradulovic@nhpco.org