79: The Value of Death - Prof Allan Kellehear, Dr Libby Sallnow, Dr Richard Smith, and Dr Julian Abel
"Death and life are bound together. Without life, there would be no death."
This week’s Survival of the Kindest podcast is a joint interview between Professor Allan Kellehear, Dr Libby Sallnow, Dr Richard Smith and myself. Richard was editor of the British Medical Journal for 25 years. Libby and Richard are lead authors in the Lancet Commission On The Value Of Death. Allan founded the field of public health palliative care back in the 1990s and has overseen the development over the last 25 years. Libby is a consultant in palliative care in London and a leader in the field of public health palliative care. Both Allan and Libby have featured on previous episodes of Survival of the Kindest. The story of dying in the 21st century is a story of paradox. COVID-19 has meant people have died the ultimate medicalised deaths, often alone in hospitals with little communication with their families. But in other settings, including in some lower income countries, many people remain undertreated, dying of preventable conditions and without access to basic pain relief. The unbalanced and contradictory picture of death and dying is the basis for the Lancet Commission on the Value of Death. Drawing on multidisciplinary perspectives from around the globe, the Commissioners argue that death and life are bound together: without death there would be no life. The Commission proposes a new vision for death and dying, with greater community involvement alongside health and social care services, and increased bereavement support.
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