Grantee details

Traveling Scholars Program Report

Javier Alexander Rojas, PhD

Travel date: April 14, 2016

Name of Meeting/Event/Activity: VIII Latin American Congress on Palliative Care

Origin: San Jose, Costa Rica / Destination: Mexico City, Mexico


How was this meeting/activity helpful to you?

Congress was of high quality, could acquire new knowledge especially in the area of ​​research in Palliative Care . Also highlights the close relationship I had with many members of other communities hospice in Latin America.

How will you new knowledge & acquired skills help in furthering your work in hospice and palliative care in your program/city/ or country?

I think the new knowledge helped identify the diversity observed in implementing the Comprehensive Care Model Palliative Care , with its successes and failures , as well as the great efforts which involves sustaining the process of change, they have highlighted the need to systematize Model implementation process of the Comprehensive health Care based on concrete actions , reflecting the principles of the model , installed in health facilities in order to move from abstract concepts to a way of doing health.

How IAHPC Traveling Scholars Program be improved in order to help other future traveling scholars?

I think that the current form of distribution of grants IAHPC is adequate and allows equal participation of its members.

Narrative summary highlighting the needs and challanges you face

In Costa Rica it operates through a network of pain control and palliative care is a model in the world and is followed by other nations considering that it is a strategy that can improve the quality of life of the population. This network provides services to people in different parts of the country. CCSS currently has 45 clinics pain control and palliative care. According to the authority of this Costa Rican CCSS scheme it is observed by other nations and therefore the country is participating in a worldwide network of palliative care.  The differences that Costa Rica has in relation to other nations, is that here pain control and palliative care are part of comprehensive care provided by the CCSS to the population. Another uniqueness is that the country has established a close link through which receives support from community organizations, which produces a synergy that benefits the target population. A difference between Costa Rica and other countries this care is offered almost exclusively to patients suffering from cancer and who are terminally ill.   One of the challenges for coming years will be on standardization, standardization of procedures, strengthening the resource human. The goal of palliative care is to relieve pain and alleviate the physical, psychological and emotional suffering of patients with serious illness at an advanced stage and support the families and caregivers of patients. Congress contribution in knowing I offer experiences of other countries in degenerative diseases affecting the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys or brain, or chronic or life-threatening diseases such as HIV infection and drug-resistant tuberculosis.


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