How palliative care clinicians are trained, by country

A 2021 regional comparison lists Argentina among countries reporting palliative medicine as a specialty, while a 2017 national mapping found professionals citing a lack of certified specialties.^96,240

OpenWho certifies palliative medicine, and is it taught at undergraduate level?

Palliative care became a medical subspecialty in 2014 with a department at Yerevan State Medical University, and two nursing schools require it for all students.^156,155

OpenHow many hold the subspecialty?

Palliative medicine has been a recognized specialty since 2005. The Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine, within the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, runs accreditation and advanced training, which general practitioners can also enter. Specialist clinicians report training gaps for chronic non-cancer disease.^167,168

OpenHow many palliative medicine specialists are there relative to need?

Community palliative care assistants are trained through short multi-day courses run by the Centre for Palliative Care with its partners.⁴³

OpenIs there a nationally recognised credential for a community palliative assistant?

Palliative medicine became a recognized area of practice in 2011, earned by examination or registered residency, with two-year residencies from 2023. Palliative care entered the national medical curriculum in 2023. A regional survey lists Brazil among countries reporting it as a specialty.^237,236,96

OpenIs palliative medicine a specialty or an area of practice? The sources differ.

Palliative medicine moved from a jointly accredited added-competence year to a two-year Royal College subspecialty with an accrediting examination. A national continuing-education initiative launched in 2021.^220,221

OpenHow many physicians have completed the subspecialty, relative to need?

Medical and nursing schools teach palliative care, with gaps in mandatory hours and teaching methods attributed to a shortage of qualified faculty.¹¹⁰

OpenWhen was palliative medicine certified as a subspecialty, and how many hold it? The count was seen only in a search summary.

Palliative care was not an accredited specialty as of 2017 and was rarely taught in medical schools. Training initiatives have had limited effect without stronger health and education sector backing.^181,182

OpenHas a palliative medicine specialty or subspecialty been recognized since 2017, and by which body?

• 6 schools Nursing schools with palliative care in undergraduate training, Colombia, 2019⁸⁴

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

OpenIn what year was the specialty accredited, and how many physicians hold it?

Costa Rica was among the few countries in the region with more than one postgraduate palliative programme for physicians, which the regional analysis associates with higher service density.¹⁴²

OpenWhen was the specialty recognised, and how many hold it?

• 77 percent Nurses and physicians at a regional cancer centre with no palliative care training, Egypt, 2024⁹¹
• 26 universities Public universities with an oncology department, Egypt, 2021⁹²

No accredited palliative medicine specialty was reported, and palliative care appears only as a reference in the national cancer strategy. At a large regional cancer centre most staff had no palliative training.^49,91

OpenWhich faculties teach palliative care, and does any credential exist?

• 7 physicians Pain medicine and palliative care fellowship, first class, Ethiopia, 2020¹³⁷

A two-year pain and palliative care fellowship was piloted in Mekelle, with plans for other university hospitals. Undergraduate teaching is largely theoretical.^137,135

OpenHas the fellowship been recognised as a subspecialty, and how many have graduated?

Palliative care is a recognised subspecialty and taught in a minority of medical schools, with a four-month subspecialty course at Tbilisi State University since 2014.^154,152

OpenHow many hold the subspecialty qualification?

Palliative care has been mandatory in medical education since 2009, and specialist home care contracts require certified staff. Hospital consultation services still name ward staff inexperience as the main barrier to opioid therapy.^178,173,174

OpenHow many physicians hold the additional qualification in palliative medicine, and does it change prescribing outside specialist teams?

• 24 percent Kerala palliative care providers with a full-time trained physician, India, 2020¹²¹

The national programme trains district medical officers through a short cascade model, and a 2024 assessment found most training need unmet afterwards. Even in Kerala, most providers had no full-time trained physician.^117,121

OpenWhen was the MD in Palliative Medicine recognised, and how many graduates and certificate holders are there?

• 2,353 participants People trained by the Indonesian Cancer Foundation in palliative care, Indonesia, 2022⁷¹
• 61.30 percent Hospital patients with a chronic disease meeting palliative criteria on screening, Indonesia, 2019⁷²

The 2026 policy brief calls for a national competency-based training strategy across the health ministry and nursing and medical associations, implying none is yet unified. A hospital study found clinicians recognised a small fraction of the need a screening tool identified.^69,72

OpenIs palliative medicine a recognised subspecialty, and how many hold it?

• 15 specialists Palliative medicine specialists, expert estimate, Iran, 2020⁴⁹

Palliative medicine is an officially recognised subspecialty. Nursing schools teach palliative content within oncology, home care and pain topics.⁴⁹

OpenWhich body awards the subspecialty, and how many hold it today?

• 3 specialists Palliative medicine specialists recognised, all trained abroad, Iraq, 2020⁴⁹

Palliative medicine is recognised only when the specialisation was completed abroad. There is no in-country specialty programme.⁴⁹

OpenHas the Iraqi Board of Medical Specializations created a palliative track?

Palliative care is not an independent specialty; the Japanese Society for Palliative Medicine awards an add-on certification after accredited training, restructured into three tiers in 2023. A nationwide workshop program trains non-specialist physicians.^167,206

OpenWill the tiered certification gain government specialty recognition?

Palliative care is recognised as a subspecialty.⁴⁹

OpenIn what year was it recognised, and how many hold the credential?

• 7 students Clinical officer higher diploma in palliative medicine, first cohort, Kenya, 2022⁶⁰
• 220 staff Hospital staff trained under the integration programme, Kenya, 2016⁶¹

Two higher diploma routes exist: one for clinical officers at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital College, and one in oncology and palliative care at the Kenya Medical Training College, whose graduates staffed the hospital programme. No accredited residency or fellowship for doctors was reported.^60,61

OpenHow many clinicians hold a completed palliative higher diploma?

Lebanon recognises palliative care as a full specialty, not only a subspecialty, and teaches it as a mandatory subject in all medical schools and in all nursing degrees.⁴⁹

OpenHow many hold the specialty, and who issues it?

• 253 staff Staff trained across programme facilities, Malawi, 2012¹⁰⁴

An accredited five-day introductory course run with the Ministry of Health since 2006 sits at the base, with a Bachelor of Science in Palliative Care for clinical officers and nurses from 2018.^103,104

OpenHow many clinicians hold the course certificate or the degree?

• 1,991 year Year the field began in Malaysia, Malaysia, 2021⁴⁶

Palliative medicine is a recognised subspecialty on the National Specialist Register, entered through basic specialist training in internal medicine.^45,46

OpenIn what year was the subspecialty formally recognised? No gazette notice was located.

Palliative medicine is recognised as a medical specialty. General physicians still lack universal training in palliative care and pain management.^96,95

OpenWhen was the specialty recognised, and how many hold it?

Palliative care is in the undergraduate curricula for doctors, nurses and social workers and in postgraduate training at all medical universities.^93,94

OpenWhen was palliative medicine recognised as a specialty, and how many hold it?

There is no officially accredited palliative medicine specialty or subspecialty, only informal accredited training.⁴⁹

OpenWhich universities award a diploma in palliative care, to which professions, and how many have completed it?

• 2,214 students, cumulative Students given a one-day palliative care sensitization course, Nepal, 2021⁵³

No standalone palliative medicine degree was found. Training runs through short courses: a national course with the National Health Training Centre since 2013, six-week courses at Hospice Nepal and the Bharatpur cancer hospital, and palliative care teaching for postgraduate residents at the National Academy of Medical Sciences since 2011.⁵³

OpenIs any palliative medicine fellowship accredited by the Nepal Medical Council, and how many hold it?

No specialist credential exists yet. Palliative content sits in undergraduate curricula at a few universities and in the family medicine diploma, and a fellowship through family medicine was still in development in the 2025 review.⁶⁵

OpenHas the postgraduate medical college launched the palliative fellowship, and how many hold it?

A postgraduate certificate in palliative care exists at National University of Medical Sciences with the Shaheen Palliative Care Project.⁷

• 2 programmes Hospice and palliative medicine training programmes, Philippines, 2022⁸⁰
• 3 schools of 70 Medical schools requiring palliative care as a core subject, Philippines, 2025⁷⁹
• 35 specialists Hospice and palliative medicine specialists, Philippines, 2022⁸⁰

Hospice and palliative medicine is a subspecialty entered only after a family medicine residency, through very few programmes. Most medical schools teach palliative care as an elective.^80,79

OpenWhen was the subspecialty recognised, and how many hold the credential in total?

Palliative care has been a medical subspecialty since 2000 and a multidisciplinary master's program has run since 2010. Nursing schools include mandatory palliative modules.¹⁸⁹

OpenHow many physicians hold the subspecialty?

After setting a goal of universal palliative care access in 2011, Rwanda's Ministry of Health began palliative care training programs with partners. It also started training a new cadre of home-based care practitioners to deliver palliative care in the home. This source is a short program description co-authored by ministry officials.⁵⁸

OpenIs palliative medicine a recognized specialty in Rwanda, and what credential do the home-based care practitioners receive?

• 50 specialists, approximate Palliative medicine specialists, expert estimate, Saudi Arabia, 2020⁴⁹

Palliative medicine is an accredited subspecialty. Front-line physicians managing cancer pain still reported limited recent training and low awareness of local prescribing guidance.^49,88

OpenIn what year was the fellowship accredited, and how many hold the Saudi Board credential today?

• 2.90 percent District health professionals trained in palliative care, Cape Metro, South Africa, 2021¹³⁰

Implementation scaled a forty-hour introductory course across nurses, doctors, social workers and community health workers, building on hospice association training with the University of Cape Town.^130,133

OpenHow many hold the University of Cape Town postgraduate diploma or MPhil, and is palliative medicine a registered subspecialty?

Palliative care has been required in all medical schools since 2016. A society-run physician certification began in 2019, but the government does not recognize the specialty, and applicant numbers are falling.^167,79

OpenWill the government recognize hospice and palliative medicine as a subspecialty?

Spain was not listed among European countries with an official palliative medicine specialization in 2014. Palliative nursing is not a recognized specialization, and a minority of medical schools require palliative coursework.^229,230,231

OpenHas an official physician specialization or accreditation been created since 2014?

A national survey of doctors graduating in 2017 found no registered academic palliative care department, specialist or programme in any medical school.⁷⁸

OpenWhen was the postgraduate diploma in palliative medicine established, and does the Medical Council recognise it as a subspecialty? It was found only in a search result.

A postgraduate palliative care diploma is available, and nurses in the church network trained through regional East African programmes.^102,100

OpenWhich institution awards the diploma, and how many hold it?

In 2012 most hospitals offering palliative care had only briefly trained staff, and few had both a doctor and a nurse with substantial training. A community caregiver curriculum at one hospital includes palliative care.^112,116

OpenIs palliative medicine a recognised subspecialty, and how many hold it?

Palliative medicine is not recognised as an independent specialty or a subspecialty; service structure rests on ministerial directive instead.⁴⁰

• 12 months Diploma in Clinical Palliative Care, course length, Uganda, 2022³⁷

The Diploma in Clinical Palliative Care is open to registered nurses and clinical officers, and its graduates may prescribe oral liquid morphine.³⁷

Undergraduate and postgraduate palliative education is described as unsatisfactory, and clinicians learn mainly through NGO courses. Family doctors report an urgent need for training.^195,198

OpenIs palliative medicine a recognized specialty, and who certifies it?

Palliative medicine has been a medical specialty since 1987. Trainees report strong research interest, but supervision and protected research time vary by region.^250,251

OpenWhich body awards specialist certification, and how large is the consultant workforce?

Hospice and palliative medicine is a subspecialty sponsored by ten specialty boards, with the first examination in 2008. The specialist workforce billing Medicare grew, yet modeling projects a shortfall without more fellowship positions.^266,267,261

OpenHow many board-certified palliative physicians and nurses are there relative to need?

• 400 physicians, lower bound Physicians trained in palliative care, Vietnam, 2010¹⁴⁵

Training was built into the reform from the start, using curricula written for Vietnam with the ministry, hospitals and universities, and controlled evaluation showed durable gains in knowledge.^145,148

OpenIs training a legal condition of prescribing, and is there a recognised credential?

Specialist training is scarce and often done abroad. Palliative care is in the University of Zambia undergraduate medical curriculum, a master's program in palliative care is open to all health professions, and an Africa-wide ranking placed Zambia among the leaders on education.^186,57,188

OpenHas the master's program graduated students, and is palliative care recognized as a specialty?