Following the presentation of a comprehensive technical paper on palliative care during the Seventy-second session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean, Member States endorsed resolution EM/RC72/R.4, signaling a transformative shift in how the Region supports individuals facing life-limiting illness, frailty and chronic conditions.

The endorsement followed a presentation by Regional Advisor for Noncommunicable Disease Prevention Dr Lamia Mahmoud which highlighted how 2.4 million people across the Region require palliative care each year but less than 1% receive it. The gap is driven by humanitarian crises, limited access to essential medications and the perception of palliative care as exclusively end-of-life care.