Many of these children die without any palliative support and experience unnecessary discomfort and pain, unless an overburdened NGO steps in.

You can start palliative care at any stage of a serious illness, even as soon as you receive a diagnosis or start treatment, says Dr Linda Holding

The person who is dying needs relief from pain and symptom control and they their families also need psychosocial, bereavement, emotional and spiritual support

In a country where spirituality and faith play such an important role, the rational argument will not convince