Moving towards Universal Palliative Care Coverage in Chile: Are we ready?

Speaker

Dr Javiera Leniz is Assistant Professor at the Public Health Department, Pontificia Universidad Católica in Chile. She completed her PhD at the Cicely Saunders Institute on the topic of use of primary and community healthcare services and transitions to hospital among people with dementia at the end of life. Her research interests include the quality of end-of-life care and the use of Big Data for palliative care research. She is working with the Ministry of Health to estimate the palliative care service demand in Chile.

Abstract

The World Health Organization has long recognised palliative care as a key aspect of Universal Healthcare Access. Most Latin American countries are experiencing the challenge of an ageing population but with limited health and social care resources to address the increase in the demand for palliative care that these demographic changes imply. Chile has recently approved a new law that guarantees access to palliative care services to all people in need, including children and those with severe non-cancer conditions. This seminar will explore palliative care provision in Chile and its efforts to move towards universal palliative care coverage. We will discuss current estimations for palliative care demand, future projections, and implications of this new policy in Chile.

About the seminar series 

The Cicely Saunders Institute Open Seminar Series events are free to attend.

This seminar is worth CPD (1 credit) pending from the Royal College of Physicians.

The series aim is to optimise opportunities for local, national and international networking within palliative care and rehabilitation. We facilitate seminars to assist in improving practice, education and policy, and the integration of research and clinical endeavours.