Close the Gap: Palliative Care for Children Everywhere
“Access to health care, including palliative care, is a basic human right and should be available to every child who needs it, no matter where they live or what condition they have. It should not depend on geography, so let’s work together to close the gap.”
Professor Julia Downing, CEO, ICPCN
Join the Global Call for Children’s Palliative Care
Children’s palliative care is an essential part of universal health coverage and primary health care. It can and should be integrated into health systems in every country, regardless of income level or setting.
Governments, global health agencies, donors, and partners share an ethical and legal responsibility to ensure that every child who needs palliative care can access it.
Yet millions of children around the world continue to experience preventable pain and suffering because they lack access to palliative care and essential health services.
This global coalition of organisations, led by the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN), is calling for urgent, coordinated action to ensure equitable access to children’s palliative care for all children, everywhere, without discrimination.
The ‘Close the Gap: Palliative Care for Children Everywhere’ Campaign is being co-ordinated through the WHO convened Palliative Care Working Group.
More resourses to follow.
The Policy Briefs
Children’s Palliative Care: An Urgent Global Health Priority
Millions of children worldwide experience avoidable suffering due to lack of access to palliative care and essential health care services.
Children’s Palliative Care in Fragile, Conflict-affected and Vulnerable Settings: An Essential Intervention
In fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings, children’s palliative care enables children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions
to live as well as possible until they die.
Pain Management as a Core Pillar of Children’s Palliative Care: A Global Health and Equity Imperative
No child should endure untreated pain when safe, effective solutions exist. Pain management is not optional, advanced, or expensive care—it is a basic standard of humane health care.
Lay Summary: Why Children’s Palliative Care Matters
Many children miss out on palliative care because of lack of trained health workers, limited access to medicines, and weak health policies. Barriers such as these mean that many children and families continue to suffer unnecessarily. This must change.
Endorsements received so far……….
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- International Children’s Palliative Care Network
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- St Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Donate to help us continue improving the lives of children around the world.
Donate to help us continue to improve access to palliative care for the world’s children.
Your donation, however small, can make a real difference to children around the world who are suffering from life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. We offer many ways to donate including through PayPal, Global Giving and Direct Debit.
