Organization of Palliative Care in Different Parts of the World

Palliative care has developed rapidly and heterogeneously in the past decade around the globe. In this chapter, we present an overview of palliative care development in different regions of the world with some case studies of models of palliative care delivery within each region. The chapter is divided into subsections based on the following regions: Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East. Regions were decided based on existing palliative care networks, where available. Information regarding palliative care development in each region is organized based on the World Health Organization’s New Framework for Palliative Care Development: (1) empowerment of people and communities, (2) health policies, (3) palliative care–oriented research, (4) essential medicines, (5) education and training, and (6) provision of palliative care (integrated health services). This chapter is intended for the reader to gain a high-level view of the state of palliative care development in regions of the world and the challenges and successes within each region. Case models per region give the reader a quick view into the diversity of palliative care services offered in different regions and give insight into regional-specific delivery models.