18 April 2014
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The Maruzza Foundation supports the declaration known as the ICPCN Declaration of Mumbai 2014, issued at the end of the ICPCN Conference on paediatric palliative care, held in Mumbai, India, from the 10th-12th February 2014.
The declaration in full reads as follows:
We believe that all children (neonates, children and young people) have the right to the best quality of life. When they have life-limiting conditions they have the right to high quality Palliative care to meet their needs.
We believe that euthanasia is not part of children’s palliative care and is not an alternative to palliative care. It is imperative that we work together to improve access to children’s palliative care around the world, including ensuring access to appropriate pain and symptom control.
We call on all governments to transform children’s lives through the development of children’s palliative care, and in particular we urge the Belgian government to reconsider their recent decision to allow euthanasia of children.
This includes:
1. Access to children’s palliative care within the children’s health care system
2. Access to appropriate pain and symptom management (Including medications) for all children
3. Supporting children and their families to be able to live their lives to the best of their ability for as long as possible.
This declaration was signed by both individual delegates and organisations present at the conference.
You too can support the ICPCN Declaration of Mumbai 2014 by adding your name and/or that of your organisation at: www.icpcn.org/icpcn-mumbai-declaration-2014/