While palliative care is not on the agenda for this year’s WHO Executive Board meeting, there are many areas of follow up from last year’s historic Board meeting and World Health Assembly (WHA) that need to be addressed. Stephen Connor, WHPCA Senior Fellow, reports from Geneva.
The first priority for us at these meetings is to ensure that momentum continues on implementation of last year’s resolution calling on countries to ensure the ‘Strengthening of Palliative Care as a Component of Comprehensive Care Throughout the Life Course’.
In addition to myself, other palliative care advocates here include Diederik Lohman of Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Busi Nkosi from the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN).
Numerous meetings have been held with WHO staff involved in planning for implementation of the resolution. Work on a strategic plan for implementation of the elements of the resolution is underway, to be finalized in the near future.
The Ad Hoc Technical Advisory Group on Palliative and Long-Term Care has met and continues to work on planning. A new full time technical officer for palliative care starts in post next Monday…read more