End of life care for patients could be extended throughout the State for no additional cost, according to the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF).
In a proposal to the political parties for the general election, the IHF called on the Health Service Executive to better balance the different types of bed provision and care staff.
Doing so could provide palliative care to everyone, regardless of disease or location according to chief executive Eugene Murray.
"The Irish Hospice Foundation is not seeking the provision of more beds. We just believe that Government should instruct the HSE to implement national policy by ensuring that every region provides one hospice bed per 100 beds or 10,000 of population," said Mr Murray.
Palliative treatment relieves the symptoms of a disease or disorder without curing. Providing one bed in every hundred for this type of care could save money for the state as palliative beds are less expensive than acute beds and patients spend much less time in them than in expensive acute beds, according to the IHF.
"Where hospice services are well established, for example, in the Mid-West, just one bed per 100 is a hospice bed and this ensures a quality and comprehensive service. This is compliant with national policy. Other regions like the Midlands, the South East and the North East have no hospice in-patient beds" he said
Mr Murray said it has been "proven internationally that palliative care is better for patients and families
"The new government must repeat the commitment given in the last Programme for Government to address the regional deficits in hospice provision. This can be achieved by reconfiguration of existing services," Mr Murray said.