Protecting dignity in serious illness during crises: A public health priority

Dignity encompasses both the inherent worth of every person and the recognition and protection of that worth through interpersonal, professional, community, and structural conditions. Though dignity frameworks developed primarily in high-income settings lay a foundational ground, they may require contextual adaptation to account for the structural threats to dignity created or intensified by conflict, displacement, resource scarcity, and health-system disruptions. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experiencing humanitarian and economic crises, such as Lebanon, systemic violence, health services fragmentation, and severe resource scarcity may undermine the recognition of personhood and the protection of dignity. This paper proposes a novel, ecologically mediated dignity model tailored to crisis-affected countries, structured around three interlocking mechanisms: professional presence and non-abandonment, relational care and social support, and resilient systems and structural protection. Drawing on real-world clinical realities, we argue that safeguarding dignity during serious illness is not a medical luxury, but a fundamental human right and an urgent public health priority, especially in countries affected by humanitarian crises and conflict. Integrating palliative care into national emergency preparedness frameworks, humanitarian response protocols, and universal health coverage mechanisms is paramount to protect structurally vulnerable populations from systemic neglect.