A combination of an underdeveloped palliative care system,lawsuit fears and limited resources means China's terminally ill patients are largely being left to a slow, often painful end to their suffering.Chen Xiaolu and Luo Diandian, children of celebrated senior Communist Party members Chen Yi and Luo Ruiqing,watched their parents die in unnecessary pain, due to political norms decreeing the officials were to be kept alive as long as possible.In recent years, they have led the first awareness movements for the concept of dying with dignity,founding the Beijing Living Will Promotion Association in 2013 to advocate palliative care.Palliative care is a variation of end-of-life care that focuses on providing relief from symptoms and helping families cope through the illness and bereavement process.Palliative care is only just debuting in China.Unlike the U.S., where use of palliative sedatives like morphine has been given guidelines, published by the U.S.-based National Comprehensive Cancer Network,doctors in China do not have access to such guidelines.In light of the already tense doctor-patient relationships,many doctors would not dare to promote the remedy due to fear of the potential legal and professional consequences.Resources for community health care or in-home hospice care are even scarcer.Patients who cannot undergo further surgery,
