Colombia
A middle-income country that legislated a right to palliative care, which tests whether a statutory right moves supply.
9 domains reviewed · 9 high-confidence · 7 dated estimates · 9 material gaps
WHO region: Americas. World Bank income group: Income group not yet retrieved.
- Domains reviewed
- 9 of 9
- Hospice: 0 of 4
- Backed by a primary document
- 0 of 9
- Open questions
- 13
- Sources behind this dossier
- 15
- Newest source 2026
Lessons from Colombia
- A statutory right did coincide with movement: services and morphine-equivalent consumption both rose from the year before the law to five years after, once implementing rules on accreditation, guidance and dispensing followed. Implementing regulations should be legislated on a timetable; a right is not self-executing.84
- Growth followed population density. Several departments still had no service despite national scope. A right needs explicit placement and stocking targets for underserved districts.84
- Education lagged services and drugs and stayed in two cities. A law on access needs a funded, distributed training mandate beside it, which is the gap this programme is designed to fill.84
- Nominally equal cover across both insurance regimes did not remove insurer barriers for poorer patients. Oversight of payers has to be built in.84,86
- Short virtual training toolkits can build basic pediatric palliative skills where the subject is missing from curricula.736
Palliative care
Is morphine available in Colombia?
Opioid supply. Is a therapeutic opioid physically available in the wards that need it? Every country on this question
- 8 mg per personSOURCE-CHECKED
Opioid consumption, morphine equivalent, Colombia, 201084
Last checked 2026-09-24.
The source table labels this total opioids consumed in morphine equivalents; a per person basis is implied, not stated.
Cite this figure: - 14 mg per personSOURCE-CHECKED · 2014 DATA
Opioid consumption, morphine equivalent, Colombia, 201484
Last checked 2026-09-24.
The year the palliative care law was enacted.
Cite this figure: - 17 mg per personSOURCE-CHECKED · 2019 DATA
Opioid consumption, morphine equivalent, Colombia, 201984
Last checked 2026-09-24.
Cite this figure: - 2.25 odds ratioSOURCE-CHECKED · 2020 DATA
Odds of an analgesic patient receiving an opioid in a capital city rather than a municipality, Colombia, 202086
Last checked 2026-09-24.
95 percent confidence interval 2.20 to 2.30.
Cite this figure:
Consumption rose across the years before the law, of the law and after it, reported through the national narcotics fund, which imports and distributes controlled opioids. Professionals describe adequate access in Bogota and central regions and barriers in the Amazon and Orinoquia.84,86
Does an INCB-comparable series confirm the change after 2014, and how often does the national narcotics fund let stock expire? Press reports of expiry were not verified.
Help answer it:Search PubMedHow does Colombia regulate opioids for pain?
Narcotics regulation. What licensing regime governs stocking and dispensing, and when did it last change? Every country on this question
The 2014 law established a right to palliative care for people with terminal, chronic or irreversible illness. The national registry, a clinical guideline and rules on round-the-clock opioid dispensing followed as implementing regulation.84
Was the service accreditation resolution issued in 2016 or 2018? The evaluation study and secondary sources disagree.
Help answer it:Search PubMedWho can prescribe morphine in Colombia?
Prescriber authority. Who is legally allowed to prescribe, and can that group be widened? Every country on this question
Opioid prescriptions in the national dispensing study came from medical and surgical specialties. No non-physician prescribing category was reported.86
Does any nurse or non-physician cadre hold authority to prescribe oral morphine?
Help answer it:Search PubMedHow does palliative care reach patients in Colombia?
Service delivery. Through what structure does care actually reach a patient at home? Every country on this question
- 63 servicesSOURCE-CHECKED
Registered palliative and pain services, Colombia, 201084
Last checked 2026-09-24.
Cite this figure: - 102 servicesSOURCE-CHECKED · 2014 DATA
Registered palliative and pain services, Colombia, 201484
Last checked 2026-09-24.
Cite this figure: - 454 servicesSOURCE-CHECKED · 2019 DATA
Registered palliative and pain services, Colombia, 201984
Last checked 2026-09-24.
Cite this figure: - 6 departmentsSOURCE-CHECKED · 2019 DATA
Departments with no registered palliative service, Colombia, 201984
Last checked 2026-09-24.
Mostly Amazonian, plus the San Andres archipelago.
Cite this figure:
Registered services grew several-fold after the law, concentrated in Bogota and the larger cities. Several departments still had no registered service despite the law's national scope.84
Who pays for palliative care in Colombia?
Financing. Who pays for the drug, the visit and the workforce? Every country on this question
Both the contributory and the subsidised regime cover benefit-plan medicines, opioids included, for a small co-payment. Professionals still report insurer-imposed barriers, especially for poorer patients.86,84
How much palliative care is delivered under each regime, and is any of it donor funded?
Help answer it:Search PubMedHow are palliative care clinicians trained in Colombia?
Training and recognition. What credential exists, who awards it, and does anyone recognize it? Every country on this question
- 6 schoolsSOURCE-CHECKED · 2019 DATA
Nursing schools with palliative care in undergraduate training, Colombia, 201984
Last checked 2026-09-24.
Up from one in 2010. Medical schools rose from one to four.
Cite this figure:
Colombia was the first Latin American country to accredit palliative medicine as a specialty. Undergraduate and continuing education grew, but professionals rated education the weakest result of the law, with training concentrated in two cities.84,85
In what year was the specialty accredited, and how many physicians hold it?
Help answer it:Search PubMedHow does Colombia prevent opioid misuse without blocking pain relief?
Opioid safeguards. How are misuse and diversion controlled, and are treatment and naloxone available, without blocking pain relief? Every country on this question
Palliative care public policy from 2010 to 2019 was followed by a gradual increase in opioid use, and stakeholders still cite limited medication availability as a barrier. National pharmacovigilance data recorded 4,437 opioid-related problems in 3,063 patients, mostly adverse drug reactions, with tramadol and morphine most common.84,731,732
What opioid agonist treatment and naloxone access exist in Colombia, and do misuse controls such as dispensing rules limit palliative prescriptions in rural areas?
Help answer it:Search PubMedHow do children get palliative care in Colombia?
Children's palliative care. How do children with life-limiting conditions get palliative care and the medicines they need? Every country on this question
At one tertiary hospital, only 10 of 87 children who died were treated by the pediatric palliative care team; those children more often died with comfort measures and less often received resuscitation. Pediatric palliative care is not in health professional curricula, and a virtual toolkit trained 145 professionals from 22 centers.735,736
How many pediatric palliative care services operate nationally, and how many children do they reach?
Help answer it:Search PubMedHow is palliative care delivered during crises in Colombia?
Implementing the national palliative care plan in conflict-affected regions remains a significant challenge.737
How is palliative care delivered to Venezuelan migrants and to people in armed-conflict zones?
Help answer it:Search PubMedHospice care in Colombia
How the hospice model works here, who can use it, who pays and who it reaches. Covered 0 of 4.
What does hospice care look like in Colombia?
Hospice model. What does hospice mean here, who runs it, and in what settings? Every country on this question
Does any peer-reviewed source describe hospice services in Colombia as distinct from palliative care programs in hospitals and insurer networks? PubMed searches found none.
Help answer it:Search PubMedWho can get hospice care in Colombia?
Hospice eligibility. Who can enter hospice, on what criteria, and how late do patients arrive? Every country on this question
What admission criteria apply to Colombian hospice-type or end-of-life residential services, if they exist?
Help answer it:Search PubMedWho pays for hospice care in Colombia?
Hospice funding. Who pays for hospice care: a public benefit, insurance, charity or families? Every country on this question
Are hospice-type services in Colombia covered by health insurers (EPS) or paid by charities and families?
Help answer it:Search PubMedHow many people reach hospice in Colombia?
Hospice reach. How many dying people use hospice, and who is left out? Every country on this question
How many hospice-type services exist in Colombia and who is left out?
Help answer it:Search PubMedWhat fills the gap in Colombia
How people get care outside formal services: families, faith communities, volunteers, health workers, healers, other medicines and charity. Described, not scored.
- Family caregiving
After discharge from the National Cancer Institute in Bogota, patients and family caregivers manage symptoms at home and bear considerable costs for care supplies plus administrative fees. In a sample of 190 primary caregivers from hospitals and home care programs, most were women and the mean time as caregiver was 33.79 months.525,526
- Faith communities
- Volunteers and compassionate communities
The All with You (Todos Contigo) compassionate city method, which builds community care networks through community promoters, has been adopted in four Colombian cities: Cali, Medellin, Fusagasuga and Bogota. The description comes from the method's developers.529
Subnational evidenceSelf-reported
Sources cited here
- 84Sanchez-Cardenas MA, Aguilar-Obregon L, Bernal-Tovar M, Gomez-Serrano K, Rubiano-Albarracin A, Tarazona-Alvarez M, Vanegas-Gutierrez D, Fuentes-Bermudez GP.
Politica publica en cuidados paliativos y sus implicaciones sobre servicios, opioides y educacion en Colombia. Revista Cuidarte 2023;14(2):e02. DOI 10.15649/cuidarte.2501. Mixed-methods evaluation of the 2014 palliative care law across 2010, 2014 and 2019: registered palliative and pain services, opioid consumption in morphine equivalent per person drawn from Fondo Nacional de Estupefacientes reporting, departments with no service, schools teaching palliative care, and interviews with palliative care professionals describing insurer barriers and training concentrated in two cities.
- 86Valladales-Restrepo LF, Rubio-Londono S, Poveda-Martinez LF, Machado-Alba JE.
Prescribing pattern of analgesics in Colombia. Are there differences between capital cities and municipalities? A cross-sectional study. Drugs - Real World Outcomes 2022;9(3):487-501. DOI 10.1007/s40801-022-00318-2. Dispensing database covering contributory and subsidised regime affiliates in 2020; opioid dispensing more likely in capital cities; medicines in the benefit plan dispensed at no cost beyond a small co-payment.
- 85Pastrana T, De Lima L, Knaul F, Arreola-Ornelas H, Rodriguez NM.
How universal is palliative care in Colombia? A health policy and systems analysis. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2022;63(1):e124-e133. DOI 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.07.007. Abstract read. Describes Colombia as the first Latin American country to accredit palliative medicine as a specialty, and too few services for the estimated adult need.
- 731Vargas-Escobar LM, Sánchez-Cárdenas MA, Guerrero-Benítez AC, et al.
Barriers to Access to Palliative Care in Colombia: A Social Mapping Approach Involving Stakeholder Participation. Inquiry 2022;59:469580221133217. Qualitative social mapping with 36 stakeholders in 7 Colombian regions identifying 27 barriers to palliative care, including limited medication availability. Authors from the national observatory (advocacy role). Abstract read.
- 732Pinilla-Monsalve GD, Reyes-Rueda M, Pinilla-Monsalve LA
[Problems and adverse reactions related to opioid analgesics in Colombia]. Rev Neurol 2021;73(2):39-49. Secondary analysis of Colombian Ministry of Health pharmacovigilance data on 4,437 opioid-related problems in 3,063 patients; mostly adverse drug reactions. Reporting-based data. Abstract read.
- 733Delgado MXL, González ÁRA, Reyes LAB, et al.
[Grief and palliative home-care services for patients at the end of life during the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia. Analysis from the relatives´ perspective]. Rev Colomb Psiquiatr 2022. Follow-up of 239 relatives (112 completed follow-up) of patients who died in a palliative home care service in Colombia during COVID-19, using an adapted iCODE questionnaire. Single program; self-evaluation. Abstract read.
- 734Mendieta CV, de Vries E, Gomez-Neva ME, et al.
Barriers and facilitators to palliative care for patients with non-curable cancer in Colombia: perspectives of allied health and social care professionals. BMC Palliat Care 2023;22(1):149. World Cafe focus groups with 18 allied health and social care professionals in Bogota and Popayan, Colombia, on palliative care barriers. Two cities, small sample. Abstract read.
- 735Cuervo-Suarez MI, Claros-Hulbert A, Manzano-Nunez R, et al.
Pediatric Palliative Care During End of Life: A Privilege of a Few in a Tertiary Referral Hospital From Colombia. Am J Hosp Palliat Care 2020;37(8):636-640. Retrospective chart review of 87 children who died at one tertiary hospital in Colombia, 2013 to 2016; only 10 received pediatric palliative care. Single site. Abstract read.
- 736García-Quintero X, Claros-Hulbert A, Tello-Cajiao ME, et al.
Using EmPalPed-An Educational Toolkit on Essential Messages in Palliative Care and Pain Management in Children-As a Strategy to Promote Pediatric Palliative Care. Children (Basel) 2022;9(6). Report of the EmPalPed virtual pediatric palliative care workshop that trained 145 professionals from 22 centers in Colombia. Program developers evaluated their own training (self-evaluation). Abstract read.
- 525Rocío L, Rojas EA, González MC, et al.
Experiences of patient-family caregiver dyads in palliative care during hospital-to-home transition process. Int J Palliat Nurs 2017;23(7):332-339. Phenomenological study of patient-caregiver dyads at the National Cancer Institute in Bogota during hospital-to-home transition. Abstract read.
- 526Alvarado García AM, Vargas-Escobar LM, Arias-Rojas M, et al.
Anxiety, depression, and quality of life of caregivers of palliative care patients with cancer. Rev Cuid 2025;16(1):e3670. Cross-sectional study of 190 primary caregivers from Colombian hospitals and home care programs. Abstract read.
- 527Carreño-Moreno S, Arias-Rojas M, Chaparro-Díaz L.
Seeking an Adjustment from the Unnatural to the Supernatural: The Experience of Losing a Child from Cancer in Colombia. Indian J Palliat Care 2021;27(1):23-30. Grounded theory study of 18 Colombian parents bereaved by a child's cancer death. Abstract read.
- 528Buitrago-León LH, Pastor Y, Palacios-Ceña D.
Real-world experience with family beliefs and organizational and communication management in Colombian parents of children with leukemia: a qualitative study. Front Psychol 2026;17:1783044. Qualitative study of 10 Bogota parents of children with leukemia recruited through a non-profit organization. Abstract read.
- 529Librada Flores S, Herrera Molina E, Boceta Osuna J, et al.
All with You: a new method for developing compassionate communities-experiences in Spain and Latin-America. Ann Palliat Med 2018;7(Suppl 2):S15-S31. Description of the All with You (Todos Contigo) compassionate city method by its developers at New Health Foundation (self-report). Abstract read.
- 737Vargas-Escobar LM, Correa-Morales JE, Umbacia MA, et al.
Colombia's 5-year public health strategy for palliative care: Implementation protocol. Palliat Care Soc Pract 2025;19:26323524251328036. Implementation protocol for Colombia's national palliative care plan in three rural regions, led by the Colombian Observatory of Palliative Care with Ministry of Health support; notes the challenge of conflict-affected regions. Protocol; advocacy organization authors. Abstract read.