IAHPC Hospice and Palliative Care Newsletter

The following events took place in the second trimester of 2004, that is from April, May and June, in Brazil. There is a possiblility that some other events have taken place somewhere else in this immense country, but I have not been aware of it. Palliative Care is still a great incognito specialty among us, and very probably news about it does not reach the media, both professional and lay.

Dr. Marco Tullio de Assis Figueiredo delivered the following four lectures on:

“Death and Bereavement” to the medical students of the Academic League of Internal Medicine, from the Federal University of São Paulo-Paulista School of Medicine, April 8^th,2004.

“Paliative Care” in the Course of Great Clinical Syndromes in the Post Graduate Program of Internal Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo-Paulista School of Medicine, April 12^th, 2004

“Palliative Care” to the medical students of the Oncology League from the Federal University of São Paulo School of Medicine-School of Medicine, April 16^th, 2004.

An opening talk at the Well Being of the Patient Symposium promoted by the Deparments of Social and Preventive Medicine, Internal Medicine and Pediatics fo the Faculty of Medicine of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, with the title “The Importance of Palliative Care Education in the Graduate of Medicine”, May 13^TH, 2004.

2- II International Congress of Internal Medicine in São Paulo, June 4^th to 6^th 2004 There were the following Palliative Care participations: A- Conference by Dr. Cisio Brandão “And When There is Nothing Else to Do, What Can Be Done?” B- Round Table “Palliative Care and Pain – A Professional Approach. Presidente: Dr. Nancy Mineko Kosek

Control of Pain and other Symptoms – Dr. Maria Goretti Sales Maciel

Nursing Care at the End Of Life – Flavia Firmino, RN

Psychological Assistance to the Patient and Family at the End Of Life – Psych. Cristiane de Paula Felipe

Round Table on Euthanasia. President: Dr. Marco Tullio de Assis Figueiredo

Bioethics and Euthanasia – Prof. Dr. Marcos de Almeida

The Criminal Law and Euthanasia – D.A. Arnaldo Hossepian Jr

The Christian Religion and Euthanasia – Rev. Mrs Eleny Vassão de Paula Aitken

3- The City Council of São Paulo rendered public homage to Rev. Mrs. Eleny de Paula Vassão Aitken (presbyterian) with the Father Anchieta Medal (the city founder 450 years ago) and the title of Honorary Citizen, for her 21 years work in religious assistence in the Emergency Room of the Hospital das Clínicas and with the AIDS patients in the Instituto de Infectologia Emilio Ribas (she integrates the Palliative Care Unit)

4- Journey: Treatement of Pain in the State of São Paulo Public Servant Hospital, on 23th, May 2004

5- CATHIVAR Project: Report of an Experience in Palliative Care, Drumond TC. Marx, RT, Costa MBS et al. Pratica Hospitalar, Ano V!, No.33, pp.47-52, Mai-Jun/2004 .This is an amazing report that originated in a well succeeded experience performed by medical students of the Faculty of Medicine of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, where they decided to start a hospice program for advanced cancer and patients with AIDS, utilizing a small 27 bed charity hospital owned by th Belo Horizonte Catholic Archbishopship. In the introduction the authors stated that “they trailed the pionner work in Brazil done by Dr. Marco Tullio de Assis Figueiredo, that introduced Palliative Care teaching in the universities of the country.”

Reported by Dr. Marco Tullio de Assis Figueiredo, Brazil

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