As cancer rates climb in the developing world, an urgent need for palliative care services has emerged, outpacing even the need for cancer treatments, since most cancer is diagnosed at a late stage. Palliative care is care intended to improve the quality of life for patients and their families facing problems associated with life-threatening illnesses, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), "through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial, and spiritual." The WHO defines the palliative care public health model as having three basic components: policy, education, and drug availability. In developing countries, attention to palliative care has been minimal, since public health programs have focused largely on preventing and treating infectious diseases and malnutrition. Studies have shown that only about 6% of all palliative care services are located in Asia and Africa.
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