Senators have approved changes to the Mexican Constitution that make dying without pain a constitutional right for all citizens.
In a unanimous vote, senators agreed to revise Article 4 of the Constitution to guarantee palliative care in terminal cases.
Although Jalisco has tried to lead the rest of the nation in this field for the past two decades, there are still parts of the state where access to palliative care and its associated medicines is limited, Guillermo Aréchiga Ornelas, director of the Instituto Jalisciense de Alivio al Dolor y Cuidados Paliativos (Palia), told local daily El Informador.
“We have statistics that (suggest) that between 70 to 80,0o00 patients, in both public and private institutions, are not receiving the palliative care (they require),” he said.
Palia is currently organizing training programs at medical centers throughout the state to bring staff up to speed on palliative care, as well as form local support groups to assist patients.