The Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network’s 2025 Atlas of Palliative Care was launched at the 16th Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Conference in Malaysia on the 24th April 2025. It is the first of five new atlases to be published this year alongside ones for Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean all due out later in 2025. The authors write in the abstract:
“Palliative care (PC) is integral to universal health coverage (UHC) as it alleviates suffering and enhances the quality of life. However, its accessibility and integration into healthcare systems remain inconsistent globally. Evaluating PC development offers critical insights into health system capacities, especially in addressing serious health-related suffering. This first Palliative Care Atlas for the Asia-Pacific Regions was developed under the guidance of WHO’s Regional Offices for the Western Pacific and South-East Asia.ATLANTES WHO Collaborating Center and APHN led this project.
The atlas findings highlight key priorities and opportunities to strengthen PC across Asia and the Pacific regions, emphasising health policies, service provision, access to medicines, research, education, and community empowerment. Utilising WHO indicators to establish continuous monitoring mechanisms and involving more countries is critical for advancing PC development. Recommendations for successful implementation include creating national PC strategies, incorporating PC into UHC packages, and expanding service availability with a focus on home-based and primary healthcare programs. Ensuring access to essential PC medications, enhancing PC education in medical training, fostering research, promoting peer learning, and empowering communities to advocate for PC services are crucial steps toward progress.
This first Asia Pacific Regions Atlas, WHO-SEARO and WPRO, establishes a baseline for regional PC monitoring, contributing to future enhancements in care delivery. Despite data limitations, the comprehensive evaluation highlights the immense potential for progress. This collaborative endeavour demonstrates a commitment to reducing health inequities and achieving universal access to PC.”
The Atlas can be download in both English and Spanish here on the ATLANTES website.
“This Atlas is the most relevant and contemporary documentation allowing countries to assess the components of palliative care provision and identify priorities and gaps in national strategies.”
Ednin Hamzah
Former Chair,
Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network
“The Asia-Pacific region holds great potential to lead transformative solutions in palliative care.”
Megan Doherty
Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration Foundation
WHO Consultant on Palliative Care
“PC represents a cornerstone of UHC by focusing on alleviating suffering and improving quality of life, yet its integration and accessibility remain uneven across regions.”
ATLANTES Global Observatory of Palliative Care:
Laura Monzón Llamas, Vilma Tripodoro, Álvaro Montero, Fernanda Bastos,
Daniela Suárez, Eduardo Garralda, Juan José Pons, Jesús López Fidalgo and Carlos Centeno.
