In Belém, Sespa participates in Walk for World Palliative Care Day

The State Department of Public Health (Sespa), through the Palliative Care Steering Group of Pará, participated this Sunday (26) in the Walk for Palliative Care, in commemoration of World Palliative Care Day. With the theme "Palliative Care: an umbrella before the storm," the event brought together health professionals, patients, families, and supporters of the cause, gathering in front of Theatro da Paz, in Belém.

The mobilization aims to raise awareness among the population about the importance of comprehensive care for people with life-threatening illnesses, as well as to strengthen the implementation process of the State Palliative Care Policy, coordinated by Sespa. According to Patrícia Martins, state coordinator of Oncological Care (CEAO/Sespa), the steering group plays a strategic role in implementing national guidelines and consolidating the state plan.

The state coordinator emphasizes that the work seeks to ensure universal access to palliative care, integrating different areas and institutions of the public health network. "It is a transversal policy that involves the entire care structure and strengthens person-centered care," she highlighted.

During the route, the symbolism of the umbrella, present on the t-shirts and materials of the event, represented the support and protection offered by palliative care to those facing serious illnesses.

The route started from Theatro da Paz, went along Avenida Presidente Vargas, Rua Gama Abreu, Avenida Assis de Vasconcelos, and Rua Osvaldo Cruz, returning to the starting point, increasing the visibility of the action in the city center. Dr. Thiago Gama, one of the event organizers, emphasized that the walk was planned as a symbolic and educational act to draw society's, professionals', and authorities' attention to the relevance of palliative care.

Dr. Thiago Gama also stated that the idea is to provoke reflection and a cultural change regarding how care in health is perceived.

“We want to reinforce that the focus of palliative care is to care for the person and not just the disease. This means looking at the patient in their entirety — physical, emotional, and spiritual — and also at their family, who face the challenge of the illness together. The walk is a way to show the population that dignity and welcome are rights of all, and that palliative care should be available from the diagnosis of life-threatening diseases,” the doctor explained.

Coordinator Patrícia Carvalho, a member of the steering group, recalled that the event takes place at a decisive moment for the State, which is advancing in structuring its state plan. According to her, since the publication of the National Palliative Care Policy in 2024, states have been called to develop their own strategies. “This walk reinforces Sespa's commitment to building and strengthening the state policy, promoting relief from suffering and humanized care, aimed not only at the patient but also at the family,” she highlighted.

The initiative received support from partner institutions of the state network, such as the Santa Casa de Misericórdia do Pará Foundation, Ophir Loyola Hospital, Gaspar Vianna Clinical Hospital, João de Barros Barreto University Hospital, as well as public and private universities that are part of the joint effort to train and qualify professionals in the area.

Sespa continues to coordinate actions to consolidate the State Palliative Care Policy, aiming to structure a care model that guarantees dignity, welcome, and quality of life for patients and families at all stages of health care in Pará.