Death with Dignity

A yardstick of the civilization of a society lies in whether terminally ill patients are able to die with dignity. Palliative care focuses more on the inner feelings of patients to add life to days instead of days to life. For terminally ill patients, mental care and pain alleviation are more important than medical procedures. Statistics show that 10,000 people in China are diagnosed with cancer every day, and about 10 million people in China die from cancer each year, including five million people who need palliative care. Starting October 2017, five pilot districts and cities nationwide set up hospices for palliative care and are providing palliative care services in hospitals, communities, homes and long-distance service centers. More hospices are expected to be launched in the country soon.