Integrating Palliative Care in Public Health: The Colombian Experience Following an International Pain Policy Fellowship
Palliative care relieves suffering and improves quality of life of patients and families of malignant and nonmalignant illness.1–5 However, access to palliative care is limited in many countries for the population in need.6–9 The World Health Organization (WHO) developed a Public Health Model to integrate palliative care into society. This model includes adequate drug availability, appropriate policies, education of health workers and the public, and implementation of services.10 The public health model has been implemented successfully in several countries, including Romania, India and Hungary,11–13 and in an effort to improve access to palliative care services and treatments, the WHO public health model was implemented to improve opioid availability, increase awareness and competences about palliative care for healthcare workers, and to include palliative care as a component of care in the Colombian legislation. This article describes the strategy, main achievements and suggestions for implementing similar initiatives in developing countries. In regard to the different components of the WHO model, there are several challenges faced by those in need of palliative care services.