In an article published in the European Journal of Palliative Care, Dr Oliver reflects on the ‘Budapest Commitments’, a campaign launched at the 10th Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care in Budapest in 2007, which asked national organisations to define goals for the development of palliative care in their respective countries.
The campaign, launched in collaboration with the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC), the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance (WPCA) and Help the Hospices, asked national organisations to define goals for the development of palliative care in their respective countries, looking in particular at access to medication, policy development, education, quality and research.
In his article, Dr Oliver summarises the achievements which have been made around access to medication, policy developments, education, policy and research and sets out a way forward, including a discussion of the development of the Prague charter.
The Prague charter has been developed ahead of the 13th EAPC congress in May 2013 by the EAPC in collaboration with the IAHPC, WPCA and Human Rights Watch. The Prague Charter calls on governments to relieve suffering and recognise palliative care as a human right.
The Prague charter calls on governments to:
- Develop health policies that address the needs of patients with life-limiting or terminal illness
- Ensure access to essential medicines
- Ensure healthcare workers receive adequate training on palliative care and pain management
- Ensure palliative care is integrated into healthcare systems at all levels.
David Oliver’s EAPC update ‘From the Budapest Commitments to the Prague Charter: paving the way for palliative care development‘ was published in Volume 20, issue 3 of the European Journal of Palliative Care.
Organizations and individuals can sign a petition online in support of the Prague Charter.
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