The APCP met with the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, on Thursday to request urgent measures and additional resources for thousands of patients lacking adequate palliative care, with a particular focus on pediatric care.
With approximately 8,000 children in need of care, there is only one pediatric home support team in Coimbra, which is “understaffed,” and there are no pediatric palliative care services available in Alentejo and Algarve, the APCP stated. The organization emphasized the urgent need to establish hospital-based pediatric home care teams.
The association also highlighted that half of the planned community support teams for palliative care have yet to be created, and the existing teams “are understaffed and fall short of minimum operating standards.” Additionally, a permanent telephone support line for patients and families is necessary.
The APCP further requested the creation of a Palliative Medicine career path, the urgent appointment of a new National Commission for Palliative Care—vacant since December 2023 when the previous term ended—and the publication of a new Strategic Plan for Palliative Care, “with defined timelines and clear goals.”
Concerning palliative care structures, the association emphasized the need to establish Palliative Care Units within the National Network of Integrated Continuous Care (RNCCI), advocating for greater integration between this network, the National Network of Palliative Care, and primary health care.
