Help Us Close the Access Abyss to Palliative Care

The Access Abyss in low and middle income countries (LMICs) is growing larger. Over 80% of the need for this care is in LMICs. Over 50% of the need is met in high income countries while only  4% is being met in LMICs... WHPCA is working in many countries including Kenya, Urkaine, Bangladesh, Central Asia and many other countries to help bridge this gap.

Imagine you live in Bangladesh and you drive a pedal driven rickshaw for a living. You earn enough to buy food and clothes but your wife has been diagnosed with cancer and you can't afford medicines. All you can do is watch the cancer and suffering progress. A friend suggests you contact the local compassionate community and a palliative care aid comes to visit. She tells you that they can help provide care and medicines at home. The aid and the nurse visit regularly and provide pain relief and training to you on how to care for your wife.

This story is typical of the patients our members see if they are lucky enough to be one that has found palliative care services. Most people in Bangladesh and other LMICs have no access to palliative care or pain relief. WHPCA is working with the government of Bangladesh and many other LMICs to build palliative care services. The government will commit millions of dollars for palliative care in the coming year but this would not be possible without the support of organizations like WHPCA. To continue our work to help close the access abyss we desperately need your support. Please give generously.

Imagine you are living in a resource poor country with limited access to health care. The government is restrictive and bureaucratic and health care professionals are taught that strong pain medicine is extremely harmful. You've been diagnosed with advanced cancer and there is no curative treatment. You start to experience moderate pain but the pain is increasing daily and you're afraid it will become unbearable. You ask the doctor to give you something strong for pain relief and he says it is not possible and accuses you of being a drug abuser.

I have worked in dozens of countries helping to develop palliative where this is the reality. It can take years to build palliative care programs from the bottom up and top down.WHPCA works to help local experts to develop palliative care with teams of well trained compassionate health professionals caring for and visiting patients with advanced disease at home that have serious health related suffering. We work with government officias and universities to educate, change attitudes, and cut through red tape to get the training and medicines needed to deliver quality palliative care.

About half of those needing palliative care in high income countries receive care while in low and middle income countries only about 4% are getting the care they need. This is unjust and a violation of the human right to health. Without WHPCA and others working for the relief of suffering millions will continue to die in pain. We cannot continue this work without your support to Close the Acces Abyss to Palliative Care and Pain Relief! Please join us!