Study Ranks Ecuador 40 out of 80 countries in dealing with quality of death care

Eluniverso.com reported that the British firm, Economist Intelligence Unit has rated 80 countries regarding the quality of care during death. Ecuador was ranked 40th. Accessibility of palliative medicine, environment, human resources and participation were elements of the study.

In Latin America there were 15 countries studied. Ecuador ranked 7th after Chile, Costa RIca, Panama, Argentina, Cuba, and Uruguay. Maria Cristina Cervantes, head of Palliative Care Hospital Solca in Quito, She explained Ecuador achieved this position because it legislation that seeks to guarantee the quality of death. It refers to the National Palliative Care Plan 2015-2017, in force since February 2015. However, in reality, there are obstacles to the fulfillment of the new regulations.

The primary issue is the difficulty of accessing opioid drugs, which are made based on morphine in its different presentations. For example, the hospital has only Solca Quito morphine ampoules. Cervantes says that as a matter of import processes, the nursing home has not brought in other presentations.

The basic drugs includes morphine sulfate capsule and syrup morphine. “Pain management is complex. No patches have fentanyl and other opioids such as methadone, which is used for neuropathic pain, “says Cervantes.

The National Palliative Care Plan indicates that in Ecuador the total opioid use (expressed in milligrams of morphine equivalent per capita) is 1.5 mg / inhabitant, while the average in Latin America is 4,80 mg / inhabitant ” no information is available about pain, do not know how many people have moderate to severe pain requiring opioid use “refers.

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The document also states that the country has morphine in ampoules, but “not available morphine orally rapid and long-acting, these presentations should be available, since the oral route provides an effective pain relief in most cases are easy to administer, improve adherence to treatment and is an added value for the care of pediatric patients. ”

Morphine via ampule requires injections every four hours, complicating treatment is needed since training of patients or their caregivers.

Hospital Solca in Guayaquil itself has morphine syrup because it makes direct imports, says Nancy Lino, head of Palliative Care of this health center, and states that this form of acquiring increases the cost because the country does not brings them together. Read Article