‘Flattening’ one curve: what about ‘raising the line’ on the other? COVID-19 and palliative care in low-income and middle-income countries

The death toll from the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed the public to the reality of death and dying, raising awareness of the fragility of one’s mortality. It has revealed to many care professionals and policymakers the need for integrated, comprehensive care provision across public health and medical services, including palliative and end-of-life care. With large disparities in the capacity of health systems globally prior to the pandemic, inequity in the response to COVID-19-related palliative care needs was inevitable across low-, middle- and high-income countries. Importantly, the immediacy of the dialogue around COVID-19 response preparedness has largely muted calls around the need to enhance palliative care service provision in low- and-middle-income countries (LMICs), and the longer-term development necessary to inform future disease outbreaks specifically and the needs of the dying generally.