PANEL: PANDEMIC INTENSIFIED NEED FOR PALLIATIVE CARE IN LATIN AMERICA Written by Michael R. Malone Published on January 13, 2021 Category: Faculty, Event In a virtual discussion on Tuesday, health care professionals from across the region advocated for increased resources to offer pain relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Palliative care advocates from a host of Latin American countries participating in a webinar on Tuesday co-hosted by the University of Miami Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas asserted that pain-alleviating medicines and care are more critical than ever as the pandemic continues. Felicia Knaul, director of the institute and an economist and public health expert, opened the “Closing the Access Gap to Palliative Care and Pain Relief: An Imperative for Universal Health Care” virtual session by sharing her experience of administrating palliative care and offering a presentation that highlighted the results and recommendations from a Lancet Commission report. Jorge Saavedra, executive director of the University’s AHF Global Public Health Institute, moderated the conversation. The International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care, and Tómatelo a Pecho were also co-hosts of the webinar. “One of the key things we’ve learned from these conferences that explore the unfolding story of COVID-19 is that civic health organizations have to be at the forefront, speaking with one strong unified voice, sharing their evidence, and advocating on behalf of patients and their families for a radical change in access to palliative
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