5,5 milliards de personnes n’ont pas accès aux traitements dont ils ont besoin, selon des experts de l'ONU

En prélude à la Journée mondiale sur l’hospice et des soins palliatifs, deux experts des droits de l'homme des Nations Unies invitent les Etats et la communauté internationale à mettre la priorité sur la disponibilité et à l’accès universel et non discriminatoire aux soins palliatifs et au traitement pour soulager la douleur de toute personne dans le besoin. Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

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Speaking ahead of the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, two United Nations human rights experts urge States and the international community to prioritise universal and non-discriminatory availability and access to palliative care and pain relief treatment to anyone in need.

“An estimated 5.5 billion people have no or inadequate access to medicines containing narcotic drugs or to treatment for moderate to severe pain, according to the UN International Narcotics Control Board - the body charged with the implementation of the UN drug conventions.

In other words, three quarters of the world’s population, have limited or no access to pain relief treatment. Older persons with a life-threatening or life-limiting illness continue to have limited access to medication, due to restrictive drug regulations and the failure to implement a properly functioning supply and distribution system.

This is often exacerbated by inadequate health-care system capacity and a lack of training programmes that address the specific needs and wishes of older persons. In fact, in many countries, palliative care is still non-existent or not recognized as a medical specialty.

Older persons have the right to live the last years of their lives with dignity and without unnecessary suffering. Obstacles to accessing palliative care must be identified and tackled to provide relief for those in need.

On occasion of the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, we call on States to comply fully with their obligations and ensure the availability and accessibility of such care for all in need.”

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