End-of-life care is one of the key areas of contemporary bioethics. The Economist has just published a 40-page survey of how 40 mostly rich countries care for the dying. Its conclusions are summarised in an index which places Britain at the top with a score of 7.9 and India at the bottom, with 1.9.

This is not a matter of cultural bias, The Economist explains -- although Australia, New Zealand and Ireland rank 2, 3 and 4. “For all the health care system's faults, British doctors tend to be honest about prognoses, the mortally ill get plentiful pain killers and a well-established hospice movement cares for people near death. Countries such as Denmark and Finland rank lower because they concentrate more on preventing death than on helping people die without suffering pain, discomfort and distress.” ~ Economist, July 14