Meet Mr Ravi Thomas, an educationist who provided the lavish premises of Aeli Hills at Aluva gratis for conducting the annual International conference of Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPCONKochi2019) from 8 to 10 February 2019, with pre-conference workshops on the previous day. The conference was held under the leadership of Dr Hyder Ali of Anwar palliative care. The scientific committee provided a rich academic feast.
With Mr Ravi Thomas in the picture is Rev Fr Abraham Varghese, a palliative care pioneer who was instrumental in the Palliative care network under Mar Thoma Church.
Now that he has met palliative care at close quarters, Mr Ravi Thomas intends to enter the field and to help remove some suffering in our community.
Clinical Fellowship in Pediatric Palliative Care in Hyderabad
MNJ Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre & Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration jointly announce a 1-Year Clinical Fellowship in Pediatric Palliative Care in Hyderabad, Telangana.
Last date to apply: March 15, 2019
Starting Date of Fellowship: July 1, 2019
Eligibility: Post-graduate degree (MD/DCh/DNB), Pediatrics preferred.
Click here to download the application form
Additionally, for all doctors or nurses who have an interest in a short course in Pediatric Palliative Care, there is a one-month Advanced Certificate Course in Pediatric Palliative Care at MNJ Institute of Oncology and RCC. All health care providers who have some experience in palliative care can apply. This course runs twice each year, with participants spending 1 month in Hyderabad.
For further details or to apply, contact the Program Coordinator, Ms. Vineela Rapelli at: mnj.palliative@gmail.com
Himachal Pradesh is one of the states where Pallium India is working with the state government to improve access to palliative care.
Thanks to the interest shown by Shri Probhod Saxena IAS, principal secretary of health and thanks to the dynamism of Dr Gopal Chauhan of the national health mission of the state, we had 11 enthusiastic doctors attending a foundation course in palliative medicine with us in Trivandrum. We have more than enough reason to be optimistic.
Dear doctors in Himachal Pradesh, all of us at Pallium India look forward to working with you to reduce health-related suffering in your beautiful state.
(Maulana (in green) with fellow volunteers.)
Lakshadweep, the group of 36 islands with its exotic and sun-bathed beaches and lush green landscape, forms a Union Territory of India, off the Southwest coast of Kerala in the Arabian sea. Geographically isolated from mainland India, the island had no access to palliative care till Maulana, a man who could only be described as the essence of goodness, came on the scene. He visited Pallium India at Trivandrum, formed a registered charitable organization by name Thanal (meaning Shade), and in a few months, Dr Ali and Mr Kahfi (a nurse) underwent a six-week course in Pallium India’s Trivandrum Institute. In a year, we had the first palliative care unit in the island of Kavarati. And since then it has grown from strength to strength.
A few pieces of good news from Lakshadweep:
• The Lakshadweep administration has given an award of appreciation to Thanal (purse of Rs 100,000).
• The Lakshadweep Development Corporation Ltd has given a grant of one million Rupees out of its Corporate Social Responsibility program.
Congratulations, Maulana and team. We shall look forward to hearing about your participation in the forthcoming Health Mela; we understand that Thanal has been granted a stall there to showcase its work. And Pallium India is indeed very proud to be your fellow-traveler.
Ahead of world cancer day (which falls on 4 February 2019), the World Health Organization has come out with new evidence-based guidelines for the management of cancer pain. Please click here to download the guidelines in pdf format.
Don’t have the time to go through the whole thing? Take a peek at the summary as a PowerPoint presentation.
Pallium India’s WHO Collaborating Centre for Training and Policy on Access to Pain Relief is proud to have been a part of the process. Dr Varghese Cherian of WHO, Geneva, deserves our profound thanks.
(Edit: In an earlier version of the blog, we had mistakenly given Feb 4 as world palliative care day. Feb 4, 2019 is world cancer day. We regret the error.)
