Development of palliative care in India: an overview.

India is a land of ancient civilizations with cities and villages, cultivated fields and works of art dating back 4,000 years. Currently, it is sharing the position of the second largest population in the world. Two-thirds of the population live in rural areas and only one-third live in urban areas. Because of these disparities in the population locations, the health-care system faces significant problems of adequate provision in rural areas. A lack of resources, illiteracy, poverty, lack of awareness about the types of available health care make developing palliative-care services a major challenge in India.