Andalucía implements paediatric palliative care seven days a week

Just as the Andalusian regional government was holding its last session on 24 July 2025, before the summer recess, two women approached the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno. They wanted to ensure that the Andalusian Health Service would provide palliative care for children seven days a weeks, which they believed was essential for those with serious illnesses.

The women had been invited by the socialist PSOE and Adelante Andalucía political groups and the improvised dialogue they held with Moreno had a significant media impact for several reasons: firstly, because at the time the regulation of visits to the Junta de Andalucía was being debated due to episodes of disruption that had occurred on previous occasions. It was also significant because the president’s response, when he heard from the affected people that the promise to introduce palliative service had not yet been met for an year and a quarter.

In front of a large group of journalists who were watching the conversation live, Moreno and the then regional minister, Rocío Hernández, who had joined the impromptu meeting, promised to do everything they could so that the commitment she had just made would be fulfilled.

However, Hernández was later forced to step down after the screening crisis, but on Friday 26 December, her successor, Antonio Sanz, announced that the service, which responds to a historic demand from families, has now been implemented. He said that the service was already in place and active in all of Andalusian’s provinces at a meeting of the Partido Popular in Cadiz.

Sanz announced that paediatric palliative services have been implemented in eight provinces, after explaining that they had been implemented progressively. The final implementation took place on 16 December 2016 in Huelva. He said that the care is “extraordinary sensitive” and requires “personalised and professional attention”.

Commitment

Sanz spoke of the meeting between the Andalusian president and the mothers, which took place in Seville. He said the request made at that time was met “in record-breaking time”. Sanz went on to state, “The president even went as far to threaten to fire the spokesperson responsible for health if they didn’t meet this promise, which I had no idea was me,” he said.

He added that he had not yet served three months and that there was a general discussion at the Junta shortly after his appointment, in which he approved the decree regarding difficult to cover positions as well as “the historic accord” for the entry of MIRs automatically.

He also said that by the year 2025, he expects to fill 10,289 health care vacancies, including 4,300 for primary care. “Two months ago all the unions were on the streets and today all the unions are signing agreements with the Andalusian regional government to strengthen public health in Andalucía,” he stressed.