This is no country for old men. Or women. Exactly a month after being ranked among the worst places to grow old, a report on global palliative care has placed India at No. 67 out of 80 countries listed on the basis of the best – and the worst – places to die in.

To be sure, there's an upward movement in the rankings. The latest report from the Economic Intelligence Unit, titled The quality of death: Ranking end-of-life care across the world, outlines India's improvement in providing end-of-life care services since 2010.

Earlier, India was listed at the bottom, ranked 40th among 40 countries. Now, it's skipped ahead of China, the Philippines and Bangladesh. But don't forget, some of the improvement is on account of an expanded field.

Earlier, 39 countries ranked ahead of India. Now, 66 countries do. In fact, the report warns that India and China are showing 'overall poor performance' in providing palliative care services to its citizens.

The United Kingdom is ranked the best country to have palliative care services, followed by Australia, New Zealand Ireland and Belgium, while the Philippines, Dominican Republic, Egypt and Iraq stay lowest in rank table.

According to the report, India's higher position reflects a stronger indication of government commitment. Although the Budgetary allocation for India’s 2012 National Programme for Palliative Care was withdrawn, elements of the strategy remain in place. Moreover,recent legislative changes have made it easier for doctors to prescribe morphine in India.