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Children's palliative care in low- and middle-income countries
  1. Julia Downing1,2,
  2. Richard A Powell3,
  3. Joan Marston4,
  4. Cornelius Huwa5,
  5. Lynna Chandra6,
  6. Anna Garchakova7,
  7. Richard Harding8
  1. 1International Children's Palliative Care Network, London, UK
  2. 2Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
  3. 3Global Health Researcher, Nairobi, Kenya
  4. 4International Children's Palliative Care Network, Bloemfontein, South Africa
  5. 5Palliative Care Support Trust, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi
  6. 6Rachel House, Jakarta, Indonesia
  7. 7Belarusian Children's Hospice, Minsk Region, Belarus
  8. 8Department of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, King's College London, London, UK
  1. Correspondence to Richard A Powell, Global Health Researcher, P.O. Box 459-00621, Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya; richard2powell{at}yahoo.co.uk

Abstract

One-third of the global population is aged under 20 years. For children with life-limiting conditions, palliative care services are required. However, despite 80% of global need occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the majority of children's palliative care (CPC) is provided in high-income countries. This paper reviews the status of CPC services in LMICs—highlighting examples of best practice among service models in Malawi, Indonesia and Belarus—before reviewing the status of the extant research in this field. It concludes that while much has been achieved in palliative care for adults, less attention has been devoted to the education, clinical practice, funding and research needed to ensure children and young people receive the palliative care they need.

  • Adolescent Health
  • Palliative Care
  • Health Service

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