Communication in palliative care

Abstract

This chapter describes the crucial relevance of palliative care in today’s healthcare environment, as well as the extent and reasons for the inequities in its accessibility globally. It depicts the ongoing efforts by international agencies worldwide to improve the availability of essential palliative care services. The chapter provides examples of activities to develop palliative care and innovative initiatives from a few countries with widely varying socio-economic backgrounds. Resources are provided that could support the initiation of new palliative care services in regions where there is a need. It is hoped that the reader, besides becoming a competent palliative care clinician, also gets inspired to initiate activities to enhance access to palliative care services.