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) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

based in the United Kingdom. In official relations with the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

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

palliative care Palliative care (from Latin root "to cloak") is an interdisciplinary medical care-giving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating or reducing suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Man ...

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 professionals ...

. It advocates for changes in public policy on accessibility of pain relief in

end-of-life care End-of-life care is health care provided in the time leading up to a person's death. End-of-life care can be provided in the hours, days, or months before a person dies and encompasses care and support for a person's mental and emotional needs, phy ...

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) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

) 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 the ...

'', 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 Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...

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) is one of six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized ...

. 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 African Palliative Care Association (APCA) is a pan-African non-governmental organization (NGO) working to promote and support the integration of palliative care into health systems across Africa. APCA has appeared on the BBC World Service, The Guar ...

(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 of Uganda, 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 reh ...

.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 Bangladesh Medical University (BMU; formerly known as Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, commonly known as PG Hospital) is a graduate medical university in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in 1965 as Institute of Postgraduate Medic ...

SMMUin 2011) to improve the quality of

for elderly and pediatric patients suffering from

terminal disease Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, rather than fatal injur ...

s. With a grant provided by

UK Aid The Department for International Development (DFID) was a ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom, from 1997 to 2020. It was responsible for administering foreign aid internationally. The DFID was founded by the UK gov ...

, 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 () is a district in central Bangladesh which is a part of Dhaka Division. It is the smallest district in Bangladesh. It is home to the ancient city of one of the oldest industrial districts in the country. The district lies on ...

, 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 illness A chronic condition (also known as chronic disease or chronic illness) is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term ''chronic'' is often applied when the ...

es. 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 a class of Drug, drugs that derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy plant. Opioids work on opioid receptors in the brain and other organs to produce a variety of morphine-like effects, ...

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 Disease A non-communicable disease (NCD) is a disease that is not transmissible directly from one person to another. NCDs include Parkinson's disease, autoimmune diseases, strokes, heart diseases, cancers, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoarthriti ...

s 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