QCOSTARICA – Chile, Costa Rica and Panama are the countries leading the “Quality of Death Index 2015” in Latin America, according to a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
The report examines palliative care in 80 countries: Costa Rica is 29th place overall, second only to Chile in Latin America.
Commissioned by the Lien Foundation, a Singaporean philanthropic organisation, the Quality of Death Index is based on extensive research and interviews with over 120 palliative care experts from across the world.
Although government and philanthropic support for palliative care clearly underpins the number and type of services on offer, networks of volunteers can help extend the reach of those services. For example, Costa Rica has developed an extensive network of day centres and volunteer teams.
It shows that in general, income levels are a strong indicator of the availability and quality of palliative care, with wealthy countries clustered at the top.
Australia and New Zealand take second and third place, as they did in 2010, while rich European and Asian countries dominate the top 20, along with the US in 9th place and Canada in 11th. View infographic.
Click here to download the full report.
