Leading palliative care specialists have called for urgent global reforms to address the growing demand for compassionate, patient-centred care. At the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), a flagship healthcare event by Qatar Foundation, experts highlighted the pressing need to implement innovative, community-focused solutions for alleviating suffering.
The discussion, centred around the report ‘Palliative Care: How can we respond to ten years of limited progress?’, was led by Prof Richard Harding, Director of the Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care at King’s College London. Addressing an audience of healthcare professionals and policymakers, Harding stressed the mounting challenges facing healthcare systems.
“We see patients and families suffering unnecessarily from physical and psychological pain. High-income countries spend 10 per cent of their health budgets annually on the 1 per cent of people who die each year, often on non-beneficial treatments. Palliative care offers the solution to this inefficiency and human suffering,” Harding stated.
Joining him on the panel were Dr Rachel Clarke, an award-winning author and palliative care doctor; Dr Tala Al Taji, a Qatar Foundation alumna and palliative care fellow at the University of Rochester; Dr Asmus Hammerich, WHO Regional Director for NCD and Mental Health; Prof Dame Louise Robinson, an Academic GP specialising in ageing; and Dr Emmanuel Luyirika, Executive Director of the African Palliative Care Association.
The experts emphasised the need to reframe palliative care as more than end-of-life treatment, advocating for community-centred approaches. The panel urged health systems to empower local communities with culturally sensitive resources, educate primary care providers, enhance training and research, and reduce stigma around palliative care.
Dr Tala Al Taji stressed the importance of cultural and religious considerations: "Culture and religion shape a patient’s decisions throughout their illness. To preserve autonomy, we must understand their value systems."
With the global demand for palliative care projected to double by 2060, particularly in aging and chronically ill populations, the panel called for immediate action. An award-winning author, Dr Rachel Clarke spoke passionately about the privilege of working in palliative care: "Dying is a lived experience, much like living. It’s a time for love, compassion, and meaning. As healthcare workers, we can make a profound difference, right until the end."
The session reflected the summit’s broader theme, “Humanising Health: Conflict, Equity and Resilience,” which focuses on building resilient healthcare systems that leave no one behind, particularly in vulnerable communities.
WISH 2024 gathered over 200 global experts to share evidence-based practices and innovations for addressing urgent health challenges. Harding conclude saying: ‘We know the solutions to reduce suffering. It’s time to implement them.”
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