Disease can defeat us. If a patient is diagnosed as incurable or prognosticated with a limited life-expectancy, we are here to support them at the most difficult point in their journey.
We founded the Grünenthal Foundation for Palliative Care in 1998. Through the Chair of Palliative Medicine at the RWTH Aachen University we promote science and research in palliative care and the care of seriously or terminally ill people. We are passionate about preserving the dignity and quality of life at the end stage of people’s lives. Foundations have subsequently been set up in Spain, Portugal and Ecuador.
Grünenthal has been involved in palliative medicine - the specialised medical care of patients nearing the end of life - for many years.
As early as 1997 the company founded the Grünenthal Foundation for Palliative Care, the foundation capital of 5.2 million euros facilitating the construction of the Department of Palliative Medicine at the Aachen University Hospital. This sum from the palliative care foundation provides funding for the personnel of the hospital in Aachen every year. For a long time now, Grünenthal has been presenting promotional awards and supporting specialist congresses in order to take the issues of palliative medicine forward.
Palliative care is also an important issue in Latin America, simultaneously representing both challenge and need. What is needed above all, in addition to better pain treatment and access to appropriate pain medication, is the training of medical and pastoral care staff. According to Peru's National Institute of Statistics and Information (INEI) 60% of Peruvians need access to palliative care at some point in their lives. For this reason, Grünenthal intends to provide support for education and training in Peru by awarding scholarships to medical students.
Grünenthal had already set a decisive course in 2005 by organising a palliative medicine congress in Santiago de Chile. Building on this, the company took the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Grünenthal Peruana S.A. as an opportunity to give fresh directional impetus with a congress attended by international specialists. The "Palliative Care in Latin America" Congress will take place in Lima on 12-13 October 2018.
It not only offers a platform for scientific exchange to participants from all over the world but also makes a significant contribution towards preventing the unnecessary suffering of terminally ill patients.
