Wednesday, November 11, 2023
The global palliative care community is deeply grieved by the unprecedented violence in the Israel/Gaza war. We are concerned for the safety of our colleagues in Israel and Gaza and for the very vulnerable patients, including older persons and children, they are caring for.
We call for:
- Medical and humanitarian personnel, patients, wounded civilians and combatants, and all civilians to receive the protection and humanitarian resources they need, including access to basic supplies, and essential medicines such as morphine for the relief of severe pain and terminal breathlessness.
- Compassionate patient centred emotional, spiritual and religious support where people are suffering and dying. This includes the respectful care of the body after death.
- The opening of a Humanitarian Corridor to allow the most vulnerable to be taken to safety
- Protection of health and social care facilities
Access to health care and essential medicines are human right rights that must be protected in times of war as stipulated in the Geneva Conventions
