MOSCOW, February 11 (RAPSI) – Russian children’s rights commissioner Anna Kuznetsova pushed for approval of an effective palliative care standard during the State Duma parliamentary hearings held on Monday in connection with a palliative care bill review.

Moreover, Kuznetsova considers it necessary to include support service for families of dying patients in the palliative care concept.

According to the child rights ombudsman, palliative care infrastructure is developed only in 19 regions of Russia. Thus, a standard or a model of the effective palliative care should be passed to speed up its development in other territorial subjects, she said.

Earlier, the State Duma passed the palliative care draft law in the first reading. The bill specifies the concept of palliative care and confirms the right of terminal patients to pain relief including drug preparations.