English Abstract Journal Article Ahead of print
PubMed: 42398432 DOI: 10.1016/j.gaceta.2026.102625
[A national palliative care law in Spain: a matter of equity and public health].
Gac Sanit 40:102625
Authors: Carlos Centeno
Affiliations
- Observatorio Global ATLANTES de Cuidados Paliativos, Universidad de Navarra, Centro Colaborador de la Organización Mundial de la Salud para la Evaluación Global del Desarrollo de los Cuidados Paliativos, Pamplona, España.
Abstract
Spain has made relevant progress in the planning, visibility and organisation of palliative care, but territorial inequalities, differences in access and still insufficient guarantees for patients and families persist. In this context, a national palliative care law should be understood not as an ideological gesture or a reactive response to other debates, but as a tool for equity, public health and cohesion within the National Health System. The World Health Organization considers the existence of a legal framework that guarantees access to and regulates palliative care to be an indicator of development, and the European experience shows that the most useful laws are those that, beyond formal recognition, incorporate concrete mechanisms for implementation, financing, governance and evaluation. In light of these lessons, a future Spanish law should establish common minimum standards of access across the country, promote early and integrated care, strengthen professional training, support families and caregivers, ensure access to essential medicines and establish public monitoring indicators. The aim would not be to add one more regulation, but to reinforce a basic guarantee of the health system.
MeSH
Public Health, Palliative Care