Overview

• The Basque Health Department has announced plans to implement round-the-clock pediatric palliative care after reprimanding a specialist for out-of-hours home visits
• Spain’s Ministry of Health committed to advancing formal guidelines on dignified death and family accompaniment in pediatric palliative settings
• Cantabria still lacks a dedicated pediatric palliative care unit, leading Hospital Valdecilla pediatricians to provide end-of-hours support to terminally ill children
• Hospital Valdecilla attends about six children per year through informal continuous care, with clinicians maintaining contact outside regular shifts
• Medical societies PEDPAL and SECPAL are urging expansion of 24-hour pediatric palliative services nationwide beyond the current coverage in Catalonia, Madrid and Murcia