On the first day of the WHA, all IAHPC delegates met in person for the first time, including Fr. Rick Bauer (South Africa), Dr. Natalie Greaves (Barbados), and Eduardo Garralda (Spain).

The first statements

After the opening plenary, where Dr. Tedros spoke about the importance of increasing access to universal health coverage and the importance of primary health care, the assembly began working in two committees. In one committee, we presented most of the statements prepared in the weeks before. Katherine guided us through the process of identifying areas where palliative care was absent from the WHA agenda, helping us to develop short oral and written statements to highlight these gaps.

Constituency statements pack all our recommendations into three minutes, whereas individual statements are restricted to one minute. 

All member states listened to us

As Fr. Bauer presented our team’s first constituency statement on the need for explicit reference to internationally controlled essential medicines in the 14th WHO General Program of Work, I began to see how we, as palliative care practitioners and advocates, actually had a voice at the table. All member states were listening as we raised the issue of palliative care and access to controlled medicines, including medical opioids. On another day, we delivered a constituency statement on the need to include palliative care as part of maternal child health, emphasizing the needs of children with cancer, neonatal conditions, HIV and other serious illnesses. 

I was impressed to see the impact, as right after I finished speaking, a member state delegate approached me sharing his realization that there are children who need palliative care. Our delegation shared more about the importance of palliative care for children, raising his awareness, and hopefully leading to further advocacy and engagement. 

The impact of our statements may affect my own practice

My daily work as a palliative care pediatrician involves supporting children and their families. While working in both Canada and Bangladesh, I have experienced firsthand the inequalities in palliative care access: 97% of children who need palliative care live low- and middle-income countries, where few have access. Access to essential pain medicines, such as morphine, is often not possible, leaving children and their caregivers suffering. 

Being at the WHA, I could see how the advocacy work of the IAHPC at these meetings can make a tangible difference. By raising statements on palliative care, the IAHPC is able to highlight important gaps, making countries aware of people's needs and encouraging them to take action. 

The WHO is supporting this as they work to develop more tools and guidelines and training which help support health care providers to implement palliative care.

Our advocacy matters

During the WHA, I met health care providers, advocates, administrators, and government officials, all focussed on ensuring improved health for the world. The WHA slogan—“All for Health, Health for All”—emphasized this. Through its events, of strategic round tables, committee discussions and side events, I learned more about primary health care, universal health coverage, and WHO efforts to expand health system funding. All these topics are so important for ensuring that palliative care is available for all those who need it. 

As I move into a new position as a palliative care with the World Health Organization on June 17, my experience at the WHA has allowed me to experience directly how IAHPC and other advocacy organizations—such as IPA, SIOP, UICC, and WHPCA, which joined the IAHPC in the constituency statement that I presented—can be important advocates supporting and engaging member states on issues related to palliative care.

Throughout my five days in Geneva, there were numerous opportunities to advocate for palliative care and acknowledge the importance of the IAHPC in global palliative care advocacy.

During the WHPCA side event, I was able to spend an extended amount of time with Ambassador Ghislain D’Hoop (Belgium/EU) and his lovely wife.  As many are aware, he is one of the principal advocates for the availability of medicines for palliative care.  During much of the WHA, I sat with the outgoing and incoming presidents of the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists.  I believe this opportunity to network was of great benefit for both of us.  

Finally, I was able to have an extended conversation with the delegation from the Holy See.  They were very, very interested in all of our interventions, put particularly the ones focusing on children. “I never knew palliative care was also for children” was one comment that led to an extensive conversation with them on that topic, as well as our mutually shared goals for increased availability of palliative care, especially in the southern hemisphere.