Good policies lay the groundwork for an effective health care system and society. They facilitate the implementation of
palliative care programs aimed at providing care for all people in need of these services, and they ensure equitable access to affordable medications and
therapies. The lack of good policies can lead to unnecessary suffering and costs for patients, families, and society. Three-quarters of
cancer patients worldwide are incurable when diagnosed. Because the size of the problem--and the suffering associated with
cancer--is enormous, development of a national
cancer control policy is an effective point of entry to begin integrating
palliative care into a country's health care system. To be comprehensive, every
cancer center must include
palliative care. Ideally,
palliative care is incorporated as a priority within all aspects of each country's national health plan, so that all patients living with or dying from any
chronic disease may have their suffering relieved, including children and the elderly. To this end, policies that address essential medicines must include a list of
palliative care medications. Supplies of affordable, generic medications that are "equally efficient" must be adequate and available throughout the country wherever patients live (especially
opioids for
pain control).