The exhibition, located on the ground floor of the Hospital Distrital de Santarém (HDS), is part of the 2026 Palliative Care Week, themed “Pain Management: An Essential Part of Palliative Care”. The exhibition features artistic works by patients, families, and healthcare professionals, video testimonials, and a free expression space for sharing experiences about pain.
At the inauguration ceremony, Ana Vera Cruz, coordinator of the Intra-Hospital Support Team for Palliative Care, highlighted the importance of demystifying this area of healthcare, stating that “Talking about palliative care is talking about dignity, comfort, respect, and humanity”. She also emphasized that these care services address the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of patients, and that “Even when we cannot change the course of the disease, we can always make a difference in how each person lives that journey”.
Fátima Lopes, nursing director representing the Board of Directors of ULS Lezíria, thanked the professionals who support individuals experiencing suffering. She stressed the significance of small gestures of comfort, recalling that “it is a hand holding ours, a caress, a word of comfort, not being alone”.
The commemorative program continues on October 15th with a religious ceremony at the HDS Chapel in memory of deceased patients. The celebrations conclude on October 16th with the tribute “When remembrance alleviates pain”. Both events are open to the community.
