A momentous day for palliative care.

摘要

Friday 23 May 2014 was a momentous day for palliative care. On that day the World Health Assembly (WHA) signed a resolution on palliative care, which was appearing on the WHA's agenda for the first time in its history. In a statement made at the WHA in response to the resolution on behalf of the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance (WPCA), the International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care (IAHPC), the International Children's Palliative Care Network (ICPCN), and palliative care associations worldwide, all member states were urged to 'implement the recommendations in the resolution' and 'tear down barriers to palliative care and put an end to unnecessary suffering' (WPCA, 2014).