[Comment] Relieve the suffering: palliative care for the next decade

Just over a decade ago, the World Health Assembly unanimously resolved that palliative care is an ethical responsibility of health systems; however, access to palliative care remains abysmal in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).1–3 More than 73 million people worldwide experience serious health-related suffering (SHS) each year that is amenable to palliative care4—a figure projected to grow exponentially.5 Yet, only about 12% of all people and 2% of children with SHS receive palliative care, and most of them are in high-income countries;2 people in LMICs account for over 80% of the global need.