In April 2007, the German government approved a law that gives every citizen in Germany the right to receive “specialized palliative care in the community” (German: “Spezialisierte Ambulante PalliativVersorgung”, SAPV). In order to deliver this service, so called “Palliative Care Teams” (PCTs) are going to be established throughout the country.

The new law requests that the special needs of dying children and adolescents be taken into account in the implementation process. However, no indication is given as to how this recommendation should be put into practice. Psychosocial support, which is not covered by the new law, is of particular importance in pediatric palliative care, and pediatric PCTs face arduous logistic challenges, especially in scarcely populated areas of the country.

Gian Domenico Borasio, MD, DipPallMed
Chair in Palliative Medicine
University of Munich , Germany