INTRODUCTION
Illness and death are an integral part of human experience.
The way we react to needs of dying patients and members of their families represents a sensitive indicator of maturity and civilisation development of every society.
Recognising these problems as medical but also social, a modern concept of palliative care emerged in Great Britain in the middle of last century.
World Health Organisation defines palliative care as “active, comprehensive care of patients with advanced, progressive diseases like malignant diseases, AIDS, chronic neurological diseases. Control of pain and other symptoms of disease as well as of psychological, social and spiritual problems are integral parts of this care”.
Having in mind that the population of Europe is ageing rapidly, making palliative care all the more necessary, the Council of Europe has formed a Committee of experts, which assessed the level of palliative care in member countries and concluded that it was unequal.
Starting from an assumption that states and their chosen Governments are responsible for quality of life of its citizens, including their last phase of life, the Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe, on October 2003, made a Recommendation Rec (2003) 24 regarding organisation of palliative care. |
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