Public Health Approach to Developing Palliative Care

Nepal has witnessed demographic and epidemiological transition resulting in the shift from infectious diseases to non-communicable diseases as the major disease burden. Around 60% of mortalities and morbidities are attributable to non-communicable diseases of which the majority end with the need for palliative care services. The current palliative care services in Nepal are in the infancy stage compared with other services. Undignified dying is a challenging public health problem and as such requires a public health approach to address it with the involvement of all stakeholders. Recognizing the need for the end spectrum of non-communicable diseases patients, the Ministry of Health, Nepal recently introduced the policy to address the unmet need through the community-based palliative care program, a laudable initiation.