When healing ends, humanity continues: dignity in death

This article was exclusively written for European Sting by Ms. Levina Kulembeka, a 24 year old Medical Doctor from Tanzania. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

The beautiful thing about being a healthcare professional is getting to see the beginning and end of life. When medicine can no longer add days to a person’s life, it must add life to their remaining days. This year 2025 we celebrate world hospice and palliative care day with the theme “Achieving the promise, universal access to palliative care.”

According to WHO, palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients both adults, children and their families who are facing problems associated with life threatening illness. It prevents and relieves suffering through early identification, treatment of pain and other problems whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual. On the other hand, dignity refers to the worth and value of every human being. It is the idea that every human being deserves respect, compassion and autonomy simply because they are human. A german philosopher named Immanuel kant emphasizes that ,“it is out duty to treat others not according to what they are, but according to what they ought to be that is beings of reason and worth”

Majority of adults in need of palliative care have chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, AIDS, Diabetes, chronic kidney failure, chronic liver disease, multiple sclerosis, parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, neurological disease, dementia, congenital anomalies and many more. Palliative care is essential to both adults and children that are faced with such adversities. 

Yet according to WHO 60 million people lack access to palliative care services most of them living in low and middle income countries, also in many places it is underfunded, misunderstood or unavailable, training on palliative to healthcare professionals is often limited or non existent, cultural and social barriers on death, misconceptions about palliative care and misconceptions that improving access to opioid analgesia will lead to increased substance abuse. In the Tanzania context, healthcare providers balance limited resources with creativity and compassion by communicating effectively with patients and families about end of life care, adapt treatment plans to realities of resource limited settings and offer emotional but also spiritual support.

Palliative care is an integral part of medicine. It is about helping people maintain quality of life through practical help, physical care, medicines, spiritual support and emotional support. Therefore, to achieve this the government must ensure equitable access to essential medicines, integrating palliative care training to healthcare workers, increase government funding for palliative care services, 

As we commemorate this day, we come together to honour the compassion and dedication of those who care for us and our loved ones when we are our most vulnerable, everyone everywhere across the world deserves access to quality care that alleviates suffering especially at the end of life. Reflecting on the book by Atul Gawande’s “Being Mortal” it confronts the uncomfortable truth that while we have mastered the art of prolonging life, we often fail at preserving the quality and dignity of that life as it approaches its natural end. 

About the author

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Levina Kulembeka, a 24 year old Medical Doctor from Tanzania passionate about global health, leadership and health advocacy. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting and serves as an active member. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.