Published on: February 28, 2017

Pallium India invites you to join a nationwide awareness campaign against torturing incurably ill patients in Indian hospitals in the name of medical treatment even when they deserve compassionate end of life care.

Over the years, Pallium India has been making steady progress in the field of palliative care, providing free pain relief and palliative care to people with life-limiting diseases undergoing unbearable suffering even in remote villages.

We have trained doctors, nurses, volunteers and support staff in pain relief and palliative care and has been tirelessly campaigning to bring about state policies that favour pain relief. A very receptive public, a bunch of self-motivated officials; dedicated staff members, selfless volunteers and generous patrons have supported the cause.

From a difficult-to-pronounce name to a respectable health option for vulnerable and voiceless patients, palliative care has come a long way; though it reaches only 1% of the needy Indians even today.

As part of the Pallium India’s hope to extend its services to the rest of India, a new campaign is being launched, which could make palliative care a familiar name in the world of health care throughout the country. This can only be done with an intensive and expansive campaign involving all palliative care enthusiasts, institutions and professionals.

We are planning a number of programmes, among them a focussed nationwide campaign to promote painless end of life care. We invite volunteers from the medical community and others, retired professionals and students, who wish to be actively involved in our upcoming projects, either contributing ideas or with direct participation.

We are also seriously working on setting up state-wise Pallium Advocacy Groups that will be tasked with building meaningful rapport with hospitals, hospices, non-government organisations and other palliative care units and endeavour to join our campaign to promote pain relief, and to stop administering painful and unnecessary intrusive medical procedures on dying patients. Pallium India intends to form advocacy groups that can make dying as natural and painless an experience as possible.

Those who are interested in joining the campaign, in setting up advocacy groups on behalf of Pallium India in their state or city or coordinating with like-minded institutions and organisations in the field of palliative care and hospice may please write in to national@palliumindia.live-website.com. Together, we can promote palliative care as a human right and compulsory option for people with life-limiting diseases.

Do mention your area of interest, expertise and level of participation (city/state, intense campaigning/moderately active or regular volunteer/participation in special campaigns only).

Can you take the initiative to set up an advocacy group in your city/state?

If you cannot, would you like to join one if someone sets it up?

Write to us: national@palliumindia.live-website.com