Neonatal Palliative Care as an Integral Component of the Greek National Healthcare System: Time to Act

Abstract

Neonatal palliative care aims to provide multidisciplinary support to families and neonates suffering from life-threatening or life-limiting diseases. Many countries worldwide have recognized the importance of enhancing the quality of life in critically ill neonates and thus have created and systematically implemented palliative care protocols in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Europe has a very low neonatal mortality rate, which has been steadily decreasing over the last 30 years. Greece in particular, a country located in Southeast Europe, reported a neonatal mortality rate of 2.29/1,000 live births in 2020. Nevertheless, neonatal palliative care facilities are scarce on a national level. In this paper, several reasons are presented to support the integration of neonatal palliative care in the Greek national healthcare system with the vision to ensure that all neonates and their families will receive in the near future the care, support, and dignity they deserve when facing life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses.