Author: Gilbert Kipkemboi, Clinical Officer and Palliative & Hospice Care Specialist, Kenya
At the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78) in May 2025, the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC), alongside a coalition of like-minded organizations, presented bold and compelling interventions that placed palliative care firmly within key global health priorities. The message was clear: health systems that aim to be universal, equitable, and resilient must include palliative care at their core.
The IAHPC’s presence was felt across six different agenda items, each reflecting a dimension of global health where unmet needs continue to generate unnecessary suffering, particularly among the vulnerable. These statements are not only policy guidance but a call to action rooted in compassion, equity, and system-level transformation.
Compassionate Communities and Mental Health
In response to discussions on mental health and social connection, IAHPC highlighted the vital role of compassionate communities. These community-driven networks address the holistic needs of those who are chronically ill, isolated, or living with palliative care needs. As the statement affirmed, “The global compassionate communities movement strengthens mental and physical health by addressing the unmet needs of people who are isolated, chronically ill, or living with palliative care needs.”
A shining example is the WHO-recognized Neighbourhood Network in Palliative Care (NNPC), which demonstrates how community-led models can effectively reduce the burden on overstretched health systems while improving care quality. The IAHPC urged member states to integrate such models into long-term care strategies, invest in workforce training, and support policies that sustain compassionate, cost-effective care ecosystems.
Supporting the Health Workforce
Health and care workers are the backbone of health systems, yet they face immense moral distress when they are unable to provide ethically sound and compassionate care, particularly palliative care. The IAHPC reminded global health leaders that this distress, often compounded by inadequate training and lack of essential medicines, can lead to burnout, emotional trauma, and even workforce attrition.
The COVID-19 pandemic starkly exposed these weaknesses. When palliative care is absent or inaccessible, the suffering of both patients and providers intensifies. Investing in palliative care reduces moral injury and aligns with the right to health. Policies must prioritize inclusive planning, training, and institutional support to protect caregivers’ wellbeing and ensure dignified care for all.
Centering Women, Children, and Adolescents
In its statement on the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health, IAHPC emphasized that palliative care is conspicuously absent from the current framework. This omission disregards the serious health-related suffering faced by neonates, children, adolescents, and their families, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
High rates of pediatric cancer, chronic illness, conflict-related trauma, and mental health challenges demand a comprehensive response that includes palliative care. The statement called for the integration of essential palliative services and medicines into primary care, alongside support for young caregivers, many of whom are girls. Without addressing these gaps, the promise of health for all remains unfulfilled.
Health Emergency Preparedness and Resilience
Few health issues highlight the urgency of palliative care like emergencies. Whether pandemics, armed conflicts, or natural disasters, these crises disproportionately affect the most vulnerable, older persons, persons with disabilities, children, and those with life-limiting illnesses.
IAHPC and its partners, including the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA), International Federation on Ageing, and Union for International Cancer Control—delivered a joint statement urging governments to include palliative care in emergency preparedness plans. They emphasized that primary-level palliative care can sustain health system resilience by addressing physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs even when curative options are limited.
Drawing lessons from COVID-19, the statement called for proactive planning to avoid repeating the tragic shortages of essential medicines like morphine and midazolam, and the lack of trained personnel that led to avoidable suffering.
A Place in the Pandemic Agreement
The inclusion of palliative care in the UHC section of the draft Pandemic Agreement marked a critical policy win. In its statement on the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, IAHPC committed to providing advocacy tools to its members to ensure national implementation of this commitment.
Among the key recommendations: simplify procedures for opioid stockpiling using INCB guidelines, train healthcare providers in pandemic-specific palliative care, develop adaptable and resource-sensitive clinical guidelines, and support the mental health and safety of palliative care workers.
Conclusion: Embedding Compassion in Health Policy
The IAHPC’s participation at WHA78 affirms a growing global understanding: Palliative care is essential, not optional. It is a right, a duty, and a measure of our collective humanity. From compassionate communities to emergency resilience, from the frontlines of care to the halls of policymaking, integrating palliative care into global health architecture will bring us closer to truly universal health coverage.
As practitioners, advocates, and policymakers, we must answer this call, not only to prevent suffering but to act with compassion, foresight, and solidarity. The IAHPC has laid out the roadmap; now it is up to all of us to walk it.
About the author
Gilbert Kipkemboi is a Clinical Officer and Palliative & Hospice Care Specialist practicing in Kenya. He is passionate about improving quality of life through compassionate care in humanitarian and low-resource settings. He has authored multiple articles for PALLCHASE, including “Closing the Access Abyss in Palliative Care: A Global Imperative” and “The Essential Role of Palliative Care in Humanitarian Crises.
Image: World Health Assembly
