Talk to Al Jazeera

Lukas Radbruch: The process of dying

The palliative care specialist discusses whether health services worldwide lack compassion.

Death, for many, is something to be feared – while for others, it is simply a part of life. But regardless of how we perceive it, it is inevitable.

More than 50 million people die every year from natural causes or medical conditions. Philosophers and doctors have studied the process of dying for centuries. And perhaps the discipline that has better understood this is “palliative care”.

Are health services worldwide providing patients and their families with the right care? Lukas Radbruch, the chair of the board of directors of the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care, talks to Al Jazeera.