Palliative Care - Pallcare India
Partner
Pallium India
www.palliumindia.org
Goal
To improve access to palliative care particularly in Indian states which have poor access to opioids, by accelerating development of palliative care services through medical education systems and improving awareness among the public.
Vision
Every person suffering from life-limiting or incurable disease in India has access to effective pain relief and quality palliative care.
Mission
To accelerate the development of effective pain relief and quality palliative care services across India through delivery of services, education, research, advocacy and information.
Duration
2009 – 2013
Overview
We at the Savitri Trust are aware that there is a lot of advocacy work needed to address the issues surrounding palliative care availability on a national scale. This is a very lengthy process and in the meantime people are suffering; less than 1% of poor terminally ill patients in India have access to palliative care. To bridge this gap, the Savitri Trust linked with Pallium India in 2009 to implement a training programme to reach hospitals in areas of need.
Medical Colleges and Regional Cancer Centres in India have a very important role to play in providing palliative care, as they train the doctors, specialists and oncologists of tomorrow. Unless the teaching institutions provide leadership, the next generation of doctors will not incorporate palliative care into their routine practice. These government institutions are selected as they cater to the poorest members of society with minimal or free rates to patients.
This project consists of a selection process for suitable candidates; a 6 week residential training course at Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences in Kerala for doctors from three different teaching hospitals. This is followed by a handholding exercise from the NGO and the hospital to establish the palliative care unit in their premises and assist with opioid availability. Specialised training and education is given for this. The final component involves monitoring their progress, evaluating their successes and giving additional assistance where needed.
Savitri Support
The most critical aspect of this project is partner selection; without the right partner, the project will not last. Therefore a lot of time and care is taken in the selection process. So far the following has been achieved for various partners:
Case Study
The Trust met Sangeeta (name has been changed) and her sister in the ward of M.K.C.G Medical College in Berhampur, Orissa. Sangeeta is roughly 50 years old and is not married. As a result of this, she must live with one of her family members in order to survive. Her own brother refused, but thankfully her sister begged her husband to allow Sangeeta to live with them.
Already indebted to her sister’s husband, Sangeeta felt she could not cause any trouble or make an issue out of health problems she had, including the dark patches that were emerging over her chest. Eventually Sangeeta told her sister when she could no longer endure the pain. Unfortunately for Sangeeta it is too late.
Cancer has spread across this poor woman’s body; her entire right breast has been eaten away. She must have been in excruciating pain. It is heart breaking that nothing can be done for her, her only hope is for palliative care treatment now. She has suffered in silence for so long. Thankfully our trained doctor at the hospital, Dr Niharika Panda, is there for her to help her through the last stages of life with medical and social support.
