Pontifical Academy for Life publishes White Book on Palliative Care

Pontifical Academy for Life, Palliative Care Working Group

The Pontifical Academy for Life has published a white book on palliative care. The White Book was developed by the Vatican-based Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV) and describes the broad-based, expert-led effort to develop recommendations for improving global palliative care. Advances in palliative care are needed to aid the more than 25 million people who die each year with serious health-related suffering, as the current supply of palliative care cannot meet the growing demand. The White Book is a product of the work by a group of experts in palliative care advocacy who represent different faiths and were invited by the PAV to develop strategic recommendations to advance global palliative care. The expert group identified 43 recommendations and 13 stakeholder groups, targeting the most important recommendations for each stakeholder group. The English version of the White Book was presented in the Vatican in September 2018.