There's no avoiding death—but some places are "better" places to die than others. The Economist looked at 80 countries and ranked them for "quality of death," looking at factors including the overall palliative care and healthcare environment, the availability and training of healthcare professionals, the affordability of care, and—most importantly—the quality of care. (That last category includes "the availability of opioids.") The UK came out No. 1, thanks in part to its strong hospice movement, but here are the five countries that came out worst:
- Iraq, No. 80. Also last place in quality of care and overall care environment.
- Bangladesh, No. 79. Also last place in terms of the availability and training of healthcare professionals.
- Philippines, No. 78. Ranks in the bottom six in 4 out of the 5 categories.
- Nigeria, No. 77. Also last place in affordability of care.
- Burma, No. 76. Also last place in the "community engagement" category, which asks, "Is there discussion and awareness of end-of-life choices?"
Click for the full rankings and more from the
Economist. (More
palliative care stories.)
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