Proposal to guarantee palliative care and repeal the euthanasia law

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would guarantee that everyone in the end-of-life process can receive advanced, quality palliative care from qualified health staff, in both public and private centers.
2. It would create the medical specialty of Palliative Medicine: the Government would have to set its official title within six months, and doctors with at least four years of practice and advanced training could qualify immediately. It also provides for adequately staffed palliative care units across the health system.
3. It would recognize rights for patients at the end of life: comprehensive care, clear information, decision making about treatments, family and spiritual support, a single room, and receiving care at home when possible. It also protects the right to leave written advance instructions.
4. It would give paid leave to relatives caring for a patient at the end of life, and add palliative care to the catalog of services under long-term care benefits, shortening the deadlines to decide those applications.
5. It would require a Palliative Care Strategy for the National Health System, updated every four years, with an annual public report on requests and services actually provided.
6. It would repeal Organic Laworganic law A law on fundamental rights, the electoral system or other matters the Constitution reserves. It needs an absolute majority in the Congreso: 176 votes. 3/2021 regulating euthanasia and would terminate all pending requests for assisted dying, whatever their stage of processing.

Who it affects

• People at the end of life and their families: They would have the right to palliative care, information, support and a single room, and relatives would get paid leave.
• Doctors and health professionals: They would need training in palliative care and would have duties to inform patients and adjust treatment effort.
• Public and private health centers: They would need adequately staffed palliative care units and would have to guarantee patients' rights.
• Workers and public employees: They would get leave and reduced working hours to care for a relative receiving palliative care.
• People who have requested assisted dying: Their requests would become void if the bill is passed.

Words worth knowing

Cuidados paliativos (palliative care)

Comprehensive care for patients whose illness no longer responds to curative treatment: pain and symptom control plus psychological, social and spiritual support.

Ley orgánica (organic law)

A type of Spanish law reserved for major matters, such as fundamental rights, which requires a special majority in the Congress of Deputies.

Instrucciones previas (advance instructions)

A document in which a person states in writing what care and treatment they want if they later cannot decide for themselves.

Sedación paliativa (palliative sedation)

Deliberately lowering a patient's consciousness, with their consent, to relieve unbearable suffering that cannot be controlled.

Consejo Interterritorial del Sistema Nacional de Salud

Body where the central Government and the autonomous regions coordinate the public health system.

organic law

A law on fundamental rights, the electoral system or other matters the Constitution reserves. It needs an absolute majority in the Congreso: 176 votes.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries