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Health systems in transition
Portugal
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5.10 Palliative care
The National Programme for Palliative Care was approved by theMinistry of Health
in 2004 to be applied within the scope of the NHS. The palliative care organization
is still incipient in Portugal, and therefore there are no available data that allow
the estimation of unmet needs in this area. However, looking at the data provided
by the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care, in countries where
palliative care has developed in recent decades there are approximately 1000 sick
people per 1 million population per year in need of differentiated palliative care.
The integration of volunteers in palliative care teams is an important element
for the quality of this service. The volunteers, supervised by the technical team,
can be a fundamental link between the community, the sick, the family and the
health care professionals.
The RNCCI was responsible for ensuring provision of palliative care services
until 2015. These are provided in an inpatient setting, with its own physical
space, preferably in a hospital. The network aims to keep track of the treatment
and clinical situation of suffering patients in complex situations that are severe,
advanced, incurable and progressive, according to the National Plan for
Palliative Care standards. It guarantees daily medical care, permanent nursing
care, radiological, laboratorial and complementary diagnosis examinations,
prescription and administration of pharmaceutical products, physiotherapy
care, consultations, guidance and patients’ health assessment, psychosocial
and spiritual support, maintenance activities, hygiene, comfort, nutrition,
socialization and leisure. These services are financed through the NHS.
Law No. 52/2012, of 5 September 2012 defined the right of citizens to have
access to palliative care. It also set the basic regulation of access and creates the
National Network of Palliative Care (
Rede Nacional de Cuidados Paliativos
),
which complements existing structures (Ordinance No. 340/2015, of 8 October
2015). The National Programme for Palliative Care aims to:
•
promote patients’ access to palliative care across the country and as close
to the patients’ residence as possible;
•
make a wide range of palliative care, both in hospital units and at home,
available to patients;
•
ensure the quality of palliative care provision through monitoring and
evaluation;
•
promote equity in access to palliative care;
•
enhance differentiated and advanced training in palliative care.