An Overview of Palliative Care in Brazil [Новость добавлена - 01.10.2007]

Brazil is a huge country with 189 million inhabitants, 26 states and one federal district with different cultures, characteristics and contrasts in access to healthcare services.

Pain is the main symptom that is inadequately controlled. The statistics show that this problem will increase in developing countries such as Brazil. In 1997, the hospice and palliative medicine movement was gaining momentum and it was necessary for us organize a national movement. Thus, the Brazilian Association for Palliative Care was founded. Implementing a multidisciplinary approach and improving professional education and research were necessary to introduce this philosophy of care in our country.

We have a lot of obstacles to access health services and basic healthcare is still a dream. Our reality is changing, but we still receive patients with advanced diseases. We need to implement palliative care on a national level with adoption of an official policy, secure the availability of morphine and increase the level of medical morphine consumption. This requires the physicians and health care team to receive training in pain management and implement guidelines in palliative care. To achieve this, we have to recognize this neglected public health problem, commit to training health workers, ensure availability of opioids analgesics, and provide laws/regulations protecting clinicians and also patients.

We now have more than 50 palliative care services comprised of multidisciplinary teams - services that evolved from pain services. We have also been discussing national and state policies emphasizing the need to alleviate chronic cancer pain and other chronic diseases, increasing drug availability, and providing governmental support/endorsement. Palliative Care is the essence of medicine. Whether we can cure or not, we can treat the symptoms of illness and offer dignity and a peaceful death. As this movement evolves in our country, we look forward to working with colleagues from around the world to making this a global movement.

Ana Georgia Cavalcanti de Melo is a clinical psychologist with specialization in cancer patients and palliative care. She is the founder of Brazilian Association for Palliative Care. She can be contacted by email at: anagmelo@gmail.com

Source of information: Palliative Care Network newsletter, September 2007