Web Words
Politics and palliative care: Panama Dion Smyth’s review of the internet for palliative nursing
www.visitpanama.com/en.html The ‘official website of the Republic of Panama’ has a dark background punctuated by colourful photographs of the country. The information on the site is very readable and allows you to gain a certain amount of insight into the broader aspects of the country should you be planning a visit.
www.presidencia.gob.pa/ The website of the Panamanian president, Juan Carlos Varela, includes all one would expect from the leader
362
of a modern developing country, such as details of meetings attended, an itinerary, and a showcase of the presidential palace; however, it also gives prominence to the role and activity of the first lady, the journalist Lorena Castillo, who has busied herself with many humanitarian projects.
media, such as blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, to encourage dialogue over this matter.
www.uicc.org/palliative-care-agenda According to the website of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), this year alone almost 8 million people will die of cancer, and without a concerted international effort the number of deaths will increase to 13.2 million per year by 2030. With almost 1000 organisations affiliated across 155 countries, the UICC helps the international health community to fasttrack the fight against cancer. It takes a lead on enterprises such as the Global Education and Training Initiative, which aims to provide direction and governance for health-care ‘workforce solutions, based on evidence, sharing of best practice, and targeted training’. http://bit.ly/1sTTgB4 This site refers to a resolution that was led by Panama with the co-sponsorship of several other countries from across the world and that discusses a publichealth approach to palliative care provision, with greater training for practitioners and integration of services. The site makes good use of interactive
www.who.int/bulletin/ volumes/91/12/13-021213/en/ This World Health Organization communiqué suggests that the burden of ageing populations, increasingly living with the affliction and liability of non-communicable diseases, will present a great unmet demand for palliative care in many countries. The piece refers to a report on palliative care that was prompted by an entreaty from Panama, which is a WHO Member State. Panama’s first palliative care enterprise was a non-governmental body providing hospice services set up by the Catholic church in 1992. Sadly, over 20 years later the country is still beset by problems around the accessibility and availability of opioid medication.
Dion Smyth Lecturer-Practitioner in Cancer and Palliative Care, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK
© 2014 MA Healthcare Ltd
This month’s Web Words moves from South America to the southernmost country of Central America, Panama, situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America. As a child, my first encounter with the country probably came in the form of the palindrome ‘A Man, A Plan, A Canal—Panama!’ Today, Panama is a representative democracy with three branches of government: executive and legislative branches elected for 5-year terms of office by direct popular vote, and an appointed judiciary.
International Journal of Palliative Nursing 2014, Vol 20, No 7
ional Journal of Palliative Nursing. Downloaded from magonlinelibrary.com by 138.253.100.121 on December 6, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. . All rights re
Politics and palliative care: Panama Dion Smyth’s review of the internet for palliative nursing
www.visitpanama.com/en.html The ‘official website of the Republic of Panama’ has a dark background punctuated by colourful photographs of the country. The information on the site is very readable and allows you to gain a certain amount of insight into the broader aspects of the country should you be planning a visit.
www.presidencia.gob.pa/ The website of the Panamanian president, Juan Carlos Varela, includes all one would expect from the leader
362
of a modern developing country, such as details of meetings attended, an itinerary, and a showcase of the presidential palace; however, it also gives prominence to the role and activity of the first lady, the journalist Lorena Castillo, who has busied herself with many humanitarian projects.
media, such as blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, to encourage dialogue over this matter.
www.uicc.org/palliative-care-agenda According to the website of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), this year alone almost 8 million people will die of cancer, and without a concerted international effort the number of deaths will increase to 13.2 million per year by 2030. With almost 1000 organisations affiliated across 155 countries, the UICC helps the international health community to fasttrack the fight against cancer. It takes a lead on enterprises such as the Global Education and Training Initiative, which aims to provide direction and governance for health-care ‘workforce solutions, based on evidence, sharing of best practice, and targeted training’. http://bit.ly/1sTTgB4 This site refers to a resolution that was led by Panama with the co-sponsorship of several other countries from across the world and that discusses a publichealth approach to palliative care provision, with greater training for practitioners and integration of services. The site makes good use of interactive
www.who.int/bulletin/ volumes/91/12/13-021213/en/ This World Health Organization communiqué suggests that the burden of ageing populations, increasingly living with the affliction and liability of non-communicable diseases, will present a great unmet demand for palliative care in many countries. The piece refers to a report on palliative care that was prompted by an entreaty from Panama, which is a WHO Member State. Panama’s first palliative care enterprise was a non-governmental body providing hospice services set up by the Catholic church in 1992. Sadly, over 20 years later the country is still beset by problems around the accessibility and availability of opioid medication.
Dion Smyth Lecturer-Practitioner in Cancer and Palliative Care, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK
© 2014 MA Healthcare Ltd
This month’s Web Words moves from South America to the southernmost country of Central America, Panama, situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America. As a child, my first encounter with the country probably came in the form of the palindrome ‘A Man, A Plan, A Canal—Panama!’ Today, Panama is a representative democracy with three branches of government: executive and legislative branches elected for 5-year terms of office by direct popular vote, and an appointed judiciary.
International Journal of Palliative Nursing 2014, Vol 20, No 7
ional Journal of Palliative Nursing. Downloaded from magonlinelibrary.com by 138.253.100.121 on December 6, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. . All rights re
