Published on: December 26, 2016

Pallium India had the privilege of taking part in a day of deliberations on end of life care issues and intensive care at Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Centre, Puducherry.

The meeting discussed death and dying, the objectives of medical treatment and the current legal position on treatment at end of life in India.

While it is true that there was some conflict in views regarding the objective of treatment per se (“Is it a doctor’s duty to prolong life at all costs?”), the audience was wildly enthusiastic. The feedback from the scientific and academic forum of the institution which organized the event said, “Doctors kept talking about palliative care for the next couple of weeks. Some doctors have started to hold the hands of patients they are treating, and were communicating with kind words and warmth. This change and goodness will continue.”

We are, we hope, moving towards a more humane end of life care policy in that institution.