Palliative care in Latin America.

During the last 5 yr, a number of palliative care programs have been developed in Latin America. All these programs benefit from the strong personal motivation of leaders who commit a considerable amount of their own time and resources to the success of their programs. Financial problems, the lack of adequate knowledge of pain control and other palliative care issues, difficulties in communication and obstacles related to local legislation are common to all programs, although each group has dealt with these problems in different ways. International programs have helped in the development of many of the local leading groups. Improved communication between different local groups, national governments, and international WHO Collaborating Centers will, hopefully, further promote the development of palliative care in Latin America in years to come.