When a cure is not possible

Date: Oct. 7, 1999
Time: 10:39 am

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada created the program to train doctors to act as consultants and resources for other physicians and health care professionals caring for patients with terminal illnesses.

"This new program will produce a new cadre of leaders in palliative care medicine who will consult with other family doctors and specialists on difficult cases," said Dr. Larry Librach, who helped draft educational requirements for the new program. Librach, past chair of the CFPC's Committee on Palliative Care, became the University of Toronto's first professor in pain control and palliative care late last month.

Palliative care and pain control for the dying are becoming increasingly important issues within the health care system as Canada's population ages and the incidence of diseases such as cancer continue to rise. The need for officially recognized training in palliative care was highlighted in a 1995 Senate report that warned Canadians continue to die in pain because there is very little and uneven access to palliative care across the country.

"This essential and timely program of advanced training in palliative medicine will ensure that a larger number of Canadians will benefit from competent and compassionate care at the time they need it the most," said Dr. Bernard Lapointe, president of the Canadian Palliative Care Association.

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