December 2022
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Congratulations, Sheela Rani!
Heartiest Congratulations to Sheela Rani, palliative care nurse from Kidangoor, Kerala, who received Florence Nightingale award from Hon’ble President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, on 7th November 2022.
A proud moment for all of us working in the field of palliative care!
Know more about Sheela and her incredible work: https://palliumindia.org/2022/05/palliative-nurses-need-strong-hearts
Pallium India’s new Pediatric Supportive and Palliative Care Outpatient Clinic
Pallium India’s new outpatient clinic for children who need palliative care has started functioning at Pallium India’s premises. It was inaugurated on Saturday, November 12, 2022, at 10 a.m. by Miss Lydia, a beneficiary, Dr Chinchilu (SAT hospital) and Pallium India’s chairman Dr M R Rajagopal.
The pediatric outpatient clinic has been initiated with support from UST Global’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiative. Representatives of the UST CSR team, Ms Lakshmi, and Mr Vineet Mohan, Dr Sangeetha (Pallium India’s paediatric palliative care physician) were also present along with the staff and well-wishers of Pallium India.
Mr. Vijayakumar and Mr. Anil from Himalaya Friends by Tarkett, donated paediatric wheelchairs, diapers, etc. for the children receiving care.
The services will be available on a weekly basis as half-day out-patient clinics every Saturday, at Pallium India, and as a full-day clinic on Thursdays at Sree Avittam Thirunal (SAT) Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram.
To know more about the OP, please contact Mr Sharath Krishna at +91 94968 48878
Anu Savio Thelly gives voice to the marginalised at Hospice UK conference
Considering that less than 4% of India’s population has access to even basic pain relief, what would life be like for marginalised populations, particularly the LGBTQI community in low and middle income countries? Every bit of attention that the problem gets in international fora, the better.
Anu Savio Thelly, nursing consultant, has been working closely with a transgender activist Mx Sheethal at Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (MGMCRI), Pondicherry, since 2017. After understanding more about the transgender community and their hardships, she started volunteering for their NGO, SCOHD (Sahodaran Community Oriented Health Development). In 2018, with support from Pallium India, she organised a two-day workshop to understand and address the healthcare needs and problems faced by the community members.
Since then, Anu has been advocating for the healthcare needs of the transgender community. She has also identified some strategies to improve their access to palliative care services which she presented at the National Conference of Hospice UK on 22 November 2022, in her talk titled “Working With Transgender Community in India”.
Thank you, Anu. At Pallium India, we are so used to relying on your expertise for any difficult task, be it creation of a nursing curriculum or preparing guidelines.
Congratulations and thank you for your brilliant presentation at the Hospice UK conference.
Community participation in end-of-life care discussed at Hospice UK conference
In a virtual presentation at Hospice UK conference on 23 November 2022, Dr M R Rajagopal, Chairman of Pallium India, discussed Kerala’s experience with community participation in palliative care.
Sandwiched between two brilliant presentations by Dr Libby Sallnow on ‘Rebalancing end-of-life care’ and by Ms Rebecca Patterson of the Good Life, Good Death Good Grief program, his talk centred on how end-of-life care needs to be built on a foundation of community support. Integration of palliative and end of life care in all healthcare is essential, with specialist palliative care available for problems that cannot be tackled by the routine healthcare system.
The Realistic Utopia envisaged by the Lancet Commission on the Value of Death advocates strongly for ‘Bringing death back into life’ by a concerted effort for ‘death literacy’.
Ruchimela 2022
Scenes from Pallium India’s Food Festival, Ruchimela 2022 organized at Canara Bank premises, Thiruvananthapuram on November 4 & 5, 2022. The event was inaugurated by Mr Sanjay Kumar Mishra (DGM, Canara Bank) and Dr. Biju Jacob IA&AS (Principal Accountant General Kerala) in the presence of Pallium India’s staff, volunteers & well-wishers. The funds raised from this food fest go towards patient care acitvities, free medicines, food kits, children’s education, rehabilitation and more. Both the days of the event saw an influx of people, and the food items were sold out completely.
Thank you, everyone who visited and supported us.
For more photos and videos from the event, please visit our Facebook page.
Gilly Burn’s visit to Romila Palliative Care, Mumbai
Ms Gilly Burn visited Romila Palliative Care (RPC), SNEHA (Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action) Mumbai, on November 14, 2022 and gave a session on The Art of gentle dying: A philosophy of Palliative care. About 42 participants attended, including 20 who joined online comprising RPC staff, volunteers and members of the Mumbai Palliative Care Network (MPCN).
Gilly started her session by sharing various scenarios on palliative care and explaining how it was the need of the hour in India. She spoke about total pain, principles of palliative care, especially during end of life, and the right to choose where you would like to die. She elaborated on empathy when she displayed a picture of a patient in the ICU and shared a recording of the sound of the beep in the ICU. This was extremely impactful.
Read the complete report by Lithin Abraham, Program Coordinator, RPC
Ashla Rani receives Znehazandram Excellence Award
Pallium India’s trustee, Ashla Rani received the second Znehazandram Excellence Award instituted by the Kozhikode-based Zmart Foundation for inspiring personalities.
Ashla, 39, was selected in recognition of her advocacy for disability rights in India.
The award was presented on November 11 at the Pallium India office in Thiruvananthapuram by Dr. Biju Jacob IA&AS (Principal Accountant General, Kerala) in the presence of Dr. Beena Oommen and Dr. Alex Oommen (ZMART Foundation Trustees), Fr. Koshy Alexander Ashby and Chairman Dr M. R. Rajagopal. Pallium India’s staff, volunteers and well-wishers joined the program in person or via zoom.
“I feel honoured to receive this award in memory of Sandra. The award goes to team Pallium India and to my mother, who enables me to do my bit,” said Ashla Rani.
Revised Palliative Care Policy for Kerala (2019)
We were overjoyed in 2019 when the Government of Kerala responded positively to our request for review and revision of its palliative care policy of 2008. The work progressed so efficiently and a revised policy was announced in October 2019. However the pandemic threw a spanner into the works. Now that the world seems to be returning to some semblance of normalcy, the government has constituted a committee to take its implementation forward.
See here the policy document both in English and Malayalam:
Kerala State Palliative Care Policy 2019 Malayalam
Kerala-State-Palliative-Care-Policy-2019 (English)
Bharathnatyam for Palliative Care
Akshaybhasha, an organization created by Dr Bhagyashree Barlingay (a palliative care physician based in Phoenix, Arizona, USA) teamed up with Pallium India for advocacy and fundraising by conducting a very successful Bharathnatyam performance in Phoenix on 9 October 2022. Thank you for the timely support, Dr Bhagyashree.
Please watch the show: https://youtu.be/oc1BxWnK7y8.
An Unforgettable Day
Mr Cyriac Jacob, Head- Finance at Pallium India, writes in this article published by ehospice India:
Wednesday, July 27th, 2022 was an unforgettable day in my life. On that day I saw a portion of the society that I never knew existed. I am a person who tries to avoid reading painful stories in newspapers or magazines or watching such news on television. I flip over such pages or change the channel when such real-life stories appear. All that was set to change with me taking up a new job.
Looking After Mom – A Caregiver’s Journey
“I had to take a crash course to understand dementia. It was so frustrating to realize that we had lost all that time when I could have cared for mom better.”
“I was more or less alone on this journey and had to figure out everything on my own.”
“It’s important to have these conversations in our community. Let us share our stories, use our voice, talk about our experiences. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. The more open we are, the better it will be for everyone.”
A daughter shares her journey of caring for her ailing mother, who slowly deteriorated over several years.
Patients and families from anywhere in India can call Pallium India’s Telehealth helpline. Health care professionals who need advice on palliative care or pain management can call our numbers.
The service is FREE and available in English, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil.
Our lines are open from Monday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4pm
Call: +91 964 588 4889 / +91 860 688 4889
In case of queries, please write to us: info@palliumindia.org
Pallium India maintains a state-wise directory of institutions offering palliative care services in India. The list includes palliative care providers from community-based organisations to tertiary care institutions and cancer care centers.
The directory covers critical information like contact details including phone numbers and email addresses, availability of In-patient, Out-patient and home care services, availability of morphine, etc.
If anyone you know needs palliative care support, our directory will help you find the centre closest to you. Do take a look at Pallium India’s Palliative Care Directory and let us know (Email: info@palliumindia.org or Contact us) if any centre near you is missing.
Video of the Month
Socio Story: Impact Conversation with Dr M. R. Rajagopal
Socio Story is a platform that recognizes and rewards the changemakers of the society. In this video, Socio Story interviews Dr Rajagopal, Chairman of Pallium India, about the status of palliative care in India.
Click here to watch: https://youtu.be/2hM1cz3VHNQ
Subscribe to Pallium India’s youtube channel for videos related to palliative care and our activities. You can watch previous webinars and training sessions, as well as listen to caregivers, survivors and others sharing their experiences.
Follow us on Social Media for updates
Contact us: info@palliumindia.org / 97467 45497
Events / Courses / Conferences
December 3, 2022: International Day of Persons With Disabilities
December 5, 2022: International Volunteer Day
December 15, 2022: Pallium India’s 19th Anniversary
FREE Volunteer Training Program (Online)
January 3, 2023:
January 4, 2023
January 9, 2023
IAPCON 2023 Bengaluru
The 30th Annual International Conference (IAPCON 2023) of Indian Association of Palliative Care will be a physical conference held at Bengaluru, Karnataka, organized by Karunashraya.
Venue: NIMHANS Convention Centre, Bengaluru
Dates of event: 10-12 February, 2023
Pre-conference workshops: 9 February, 2023.
The theme of IAPCON 2023 is: ‘Metamorphosis: The emergence of Subspeciality Palliative Medicine’.
Please visit the conference website for further details.
Check out upcoming events: https://palliumindia.org/events
Queries? Contact: info@palliumindia.org
CAREERS / OPENINGS
Medical Officer at Sri Sathya Sai Palliative Care Center, Puttaparthi
Palliative Care Physician at Panha Lifecare, Mumbai
Staff Nurse at Ganga Prem Hospice, Rishikesh
Consultant Geriatrician / Palliative Physician at Kadamapuzha Hospital, Kottayam
Administrative Assistant, Pallium India, Trivandrum
Paediatrician, Pallium India, Trivandrum.
Head – Research & Development, Pallium India, Trivandrum
VISIT OUR CAREERS PAGE:
https://palliumindia.org/category/career
In case of queries, please write to us: career@palliumindia.org
Click here to donate to Pallium India and lend a hand to our activities.
Donations from US can be made online on http://palliumindiausa.org/
For DOMESTIC Transfer:
Beneficiary: Pallium India Trust
Account No: 30086491915
State Bank of India
Branch: Pattom, Trivandrum
IFS Code: SBIN0003355
MICR No: 695002007
For FOREIGN donations:
Account Name: Pallium India Trust
Bank: State Bank of India (code: 00691)
Branch: Delhi
Account No: 40098265669
IFSC Code: SBIN0000691
SWIFT Code: SBININBB104
Queries? Write to info@palliumindia.org or call 97467 45504
After you make a donation, please write to us at donations@palliumindia.org for the receipt. Kindly provide your name, PAN number, contact number and address for us to issue the receipt.
Follow us for palliative care news, views and updates – as & when they happen
SAHAYATRA
Sahayatra, Pallium India’s monthly print magazine in Malayalam, is meant for anyone interested in Palliative Care – patients, families, palliative care professionals, volunteers and well-wishers.
Yearly subscription rate for Sahayatra is ₹200. (Only ₹500 if you subscribe for three years.) However, we send Sahayatra free of cost to patients and their families.
To subscribe to Sahayatra monthly magazine, please send your complete postal address to info@palliumindia.org. Contact: 97467 45504
Read previous issues of Sahayatra online: https://palliumindia.org/sahayatra
PARTING SHOT
Read about the giant on whose shoulders we stand, Dr. Lucito D’Souza, who brought palliative care to India in the form of its first hospice, Shanti Avedna Sadan.
The article quotes the inscription on the white gates of Shanti Avedna Sadan, ‘This is a place to live! We add life to days, not days to life’.
Please read:
How A Surgeon Built India’s First Free Hospice for Cancer Patients
(Pic credit: The Better India)
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