Palliative Care Australia (PCA) has undertaken a confronting campaign about dying. The campaign, which asks – How are You Going To Die? – is meant to raise awareness surrounding inadequate pain management and access to palliative care.

"Even here in Australia where we have a relatively good system of palliative care, access to pain-relieving medicines, and trained health professionals, we still have people experiencing the end of their lives in preventable pain," says PCA President Scott Blackwell. "And, if you look at neighbouring countries in the Asia Pacific, the problem is far, far worse."

PCA hopes that the initiative will raise awareness of a widespread worldwide situation - 600 million people alive today in 160 countries will experience untreated severe pain. 

According to statistics, each year more than 3.3 million people die with untreated moderate or severe pain from cancer and HIV/AIDS, and 80% of people worldwide lack access to essential pain medicines. This burden is particularly acute among low- to middle-income countries.

"We need to make sure the public is educated about end-of-life care… We also have to ensure our health professionals are educated about the appropriate use of medicines, and there are systems and policies in place to deliver essential palliative care services," says Dr. Blackwell.