Developing palliative care services for terminally ill patients in Saudi Arabia

Palliative Care is an accepted specialty of medicine and nursing which concentrates on the total care of patients suffering from any form of terminal illness. Its development as part of the health care services is a recognition that dying is a normal consequence of living and that the support of health professionals and the use of modern medical technology can relieve much of the distress normally associated with dying of illnesses such as cancer. This article looks at the experience of King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in developing a palliative care service for the terminally ill since 1989 in the hope that other institutions in the Kingdom will be encouraged to do likewise