The UN meeting in New York gave civil society, academic and the private sector a chance to share progress and concerns relating to the response to NCDs since the 2011 UN High Level Meeting. This is ahead of the UN High Level review which will take place on July 10-11.
Jon Mastrojohn from WPCA member, the National Hospice Palliative Care Organisation, represented the WPCA and delivered an intervention at the hearing requesting a much stronger inclusion of palliative care within the outcomes document of the upcoming high level meeting. He commended WHO and member states on their work to date including the publication of the Global Atlas and the adoption of the World Health Assembly palliative care resolution but noted the WPCA’s concern to date on lack of palliative care policy development nationally, issues with access to opioid availability and palliative care service development – particularly in low-resource countries for people with NCDs.
He called for “renewed commitment and a call for action within the High Level Meeting outcomes document to address this critical human rights issue and ensure that all people with NCDs are not subjected to often avoidable suffering and that actions are taken to ensure access to palliative care, including opioid medications, for the millions that need it.”
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