Report on quality of death puts United Kingdom at the top

The Quality of Death Index, commissioned by the Lien Foundation, a Singaporean philanthropic organisation, is based on extensive research and interviews with over 120 palliative care experts from across the world. Only two Asian countries made it in the top-ten list: New Zealand and Taiwan.

A few eighty five p.c of the world’s inhabitants is with out entry to high quality palliative care. Out of the 80 countries involved in the ranking, 34 have scored “above average” in having a health system dedicated to patients nearing the end of life.

Head of marketing and communications at Phyllis Tuckwell, Hospice Care, Tony Carpenter, said it is not only the terminally ill who are given support: “The whole family, I suppose, is the first thing – we don’t just see a patient, we see people like Kristy and the children, and we see that as a whole unit that needs support”.

According to researchers, Britain has led the way in terms of its hospice care network and statutory involvement in end-of-life care, and ranks top of 40 countries measured in the index. The report highlighted the countries’ “strong and effectively implemented national palliative care policy framework and their high levels of public spending on health care services”. There are, however, a few countries that make it easier for their citizens to give their last breath more peacefully. For example, Mongolia has experienced rapid growth in their hospice facilities and Panama has begun building palliative care into their primary services. The report also states that ironically, most of the countries fail to cope up with the rising cost of the care required. The survey also reports that in the United States, care of the dying is often associated with “giving up”.

Kerala’s unique system revolves around the Neighbourhood Network in Palliative Care (NNPC) project, co-founded by Suresh Kumar with the aim of improving both accessibility and quality of end-of-life care. Our findings suggest continued growth in the prevalence of hospital palliative care programs, especially in the largest hospitals that serve the majority of US patients.

Meier and others have emphasized that palliative care can be provided at the same time as treatment to cure the disease.

A total of 140 staff are at present working in palliative care centres. “These steps are critical to redress inconsistencies in access and quality of palliative care services associated with geographic location and ownership, among other factors”.