Published on: April 10, 2017

“Palliative care must become the responsibility of the entire society towards the needy,” said former Chief Secretary S. M. Vijayanand IAS, while inaugurating the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (EKR) Pallium Library at Pallium India’s Arumana Hospital building. He also pointed out that India held a dismal place in global Quality of Death index. While the society’s involvement in Kerala’s palliative care scene was commendable, there was still a long way to go.

S. M. Vijayanand added that he was fascinated by Pallium India’s slogan, “Care Beyond Cure” and the motto of palliative care: “low tech, high touch”.

The inauguration of EKR Pallium Library was organized as part of the World Health Day programs on April 7th, 2017. The library is for the use of the trainees as well as for staff members and volunteers. There is a separate section on EKR publications.

Named after Swiss-American psychiatrist and near-death studies pioneer Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the EKR Pallium Library has a virtual library on the National Cancer Grid.

The Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation and its chief functionaries, Dianne Gray and Ken Ross (Elisabeth’s son), had sent many precious books to us. Numerous books also came in as a gift from Dr.Odette Spruyt of Peter McCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, who has been a friend of Palliative Care in India for over two decades; thank you Rotary Suburban of Trivandrum for your kind and precious assistance in arranging the customs clearance of the latter shipment.

Library dedicated to palliative care – report in The Hindu

Library dedicated to books on palliative care opened – report in The Times of India