The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance or WHPCA (formerly known as the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance or WPCA) is an international

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

based in the United Kingdom. In official relations with the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

(WHO), the WHPCA works in conjunction with over 200 regional institutions and national partners for the global development of

palliative care Palliative care (derived from the Latin root , or 'to cloak') is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Wit ...

and advancement of

pain relief Pain management is an aspect of medicine and health care involving relief of pain (pain relief, analgesia, pain control) in various dimensions, from acute and simple to chronic and challenging. Most physicians and other health professional ...

. It advocates for changes in public policy on accessibility of pain relief in end-of-life care and integration of palliative care into national health agendas.Chestnov, Oleg (January 2014)
"Forward"
in Connor, Stephen and Sepulveda Bermedo, Maria Cecilia (editors), ''Global Atlas of Palliative Care at the End of Life'', Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance and

, p. 3. Accessed 21 September 2019. In 2014 it released the ''Global Atlas of Palliative Care at the End of Life'' in a joint publication with the WHO.

History

The WHPCA was founded in 2008 with its headquarters located in the United Kingdom. The

(

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

) is registered as a charity in England and Wales.Connor, Stephen Robert, Gwyther, Elizabeth (February 2018) pub 8 August 2017
The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance
" in ''

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management The ''Journal of Pain and Symptom Management'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal that was established in 1986. It is a continuation of the ''PRN Forum'' (Pain Research News forum), a bimonthly journal published from 1982 to 1985. It is t ...

'', 55 (2S): S112-S116. PMID: 28797861 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2017.03.020. PubMed.gov. Accessed 21 September 2019. WHPCA is an implementing NGO affiliated with the

(WHO) promoting change in public policies for hospice and

on a global, national, and regional scale. The organization has also been recognized as having official relations with the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

. Clinical health psychologist and co-founder Stephen Connor serves as the executive director. The WHPCA works in conjunction with other international organizations and national entities. For instance, it collaborated with the African Palliative Care Association (APCA) for presenting materials to an international palliative care conference in 2016 hosted by the

Uganda Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health is a cabinet-level government ministry of Uganda. It is responsible for planning, delivering, and maintaining an efficient and effective healthcare delivery system, including preventive, curative, and rehabilitative service ...

.Okoth, Cecilia (14 August 2016)
"Uganda to host international conference on palliative care"
''New Vision''. Accessed 21 September 2019. WHPCA has partnered with organizations such as the Centre for Palliative Care in Bangladesh (established by the

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) is a graduate medical university in Bangladesh. It was established in 1965. The university offers postgraduate degrees only, not offering undergraduate medical or dental degrees. History Est ...

SMMUin 2011) to improve the quality of end-of-life care for elderly and pediatric patients suffering from terminal diseases. With a grant provided by UK Aid, WHPCA partnered with the Department of Palliative Medicine at BSMMU in 2018–2019 to provide palliative care to impoverished patients of

Narayanganj District Narayanganj District ( bn, নারায়ণগঞ্জ, Narayoṇgonj) is a district in central Bangladesh which is a part of the Dhaka Division. It is home to the ancient city of Sonargaon and is one of the oldest industrial districts in the ...

, Bangladesh, treating over 100 patients and training 27 nurses and 17 doctors in administering palliative care.5 April 2019. "How the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance is improving palliative care in Bangladesh." UK Aid Direct (Ukaiddirect.org). Accessed 21 September 2019.

Priorities and projects

Along with its international partners, the WHPCA seeks to provide pain relief to patients suffering chronic illnesses. The organization works to eliminate the stigma surrounding pain relief by challenging certain national public policies, especially in developing countries where prescribed

opioid Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioid use ...

use is controversial due to drug addiction.Flanagan, Holli (20 March 2019)
"Providing Comfort: Initiating Palliative Care in Developing Countries"
Borgen Magazine. Accessed 21 September 2019. One of the other major priorities of the organization is to make quality palliative care more affordable. It has also managed the annual World Hospice and Palliative Care Day to raise awareness about its initiatives. In 2014 the WHPCA and WHO produced a joint publication, the ''Global Atlas of Palliative Care at the End of Life'', edited by Stephen Connor and Maria Cecilia Sepulveda Bermedo, a senior adviser on chronic diseases prevention and management for the WHO. It was initiated as part of the WHO's Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases for 2013–2020. The study found that roughly 20 million people around the globe, 6% of whom were children, required end-of-life palliative care, with a majority of those in developing countries lacking basic necessities such as opioid medication for pain relief.

Published material

* ''Global Atlas of Palliative Care at the End of Life'' (2014) * ', annual international edition

References

{{Reflist

External links

Whpca.org (main website)

"Pain relief and palliative care around the world"
Oxford University Press blog by David Clark, 7 December 2017 Medical and health organisations based in the United Kingdom Palliative care

History

Priorities and projects

Published material

See also

References

External links