Not only is the Indian quality of life lamentable, we as a nation suffer from low end-of-life care also, says a new survey. It placed India at the bottom of the table of 40 nations surveyed. The report - “Quality of Death” index was prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Shamingly, India is placed below Uganda in the list of 40 countries. The report mentioned that with the exception of the state of Kerala, India has little government funding for end-of-life care. The survey noted “In the case of China and India, further problems are vast populations for whom end-of-life coverage extends to only a fraction of those in need.”

The report said that in India, a bigger barrier more often is the protective attitude of the family. “While relatives are often available to care for dying parents, they are reluctant to disclose their condition,” the report explained.

The survey found the United Kingdom as the country offering the best quality of palliative care. “The UK has led the way in terms of its hospice care network and statutory involvement in end-of-life care, and ranks top of 40 countries measured in the Index,” said the report.

The Quality of Death Index surveyed 40 countries: 30 OECD nations and 10 select others for which data was available.

The Index was prepared on the basis of four categories: Basic End-of-Life Healthcare Environment; Availability of End-of-Life Care; Cost of End-of-Life Care; and Quality of End-of-Life Care.

Read the press release

Read the report