World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2019 falls on Saturday 12 October 2019, with people in over 80 countries coming together to celebrate, support and speak up about the importance of hospice and palliative care.

This year’s World Hospice and Palliative Care Day theme is ‘My Care, My Right’, which aims to communicate that palliative care can be demanded by the public - and that, together, every person impacted by a life limiting illness can influence their policy makers to prioritise palliative care financing.

According to Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA), who host World Hospice and Palliative Care Day:

• Worldwide, more than 25.5 million people die every year with life limiting illness that requires palliative care.
• Family carers and volunteers are a key component of palliative care services as they provide essential support.
• Less than 10% of the overall need for palliative care is being met globally.
• More than 80% of these cases are in low- and middle-income countries, where access to immediate release oral morphine, an essential and inexpensive medicine to alleviate pain, as well any other type of palliative care, is severely lacking.

Visit the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day website to read more and download resources.