January 2026
Future of Palliative Care
The future of palliative care is being shaped by a new generation of doctors, social workers, researchers, and community professionals who are reimagining how care is delivered, advocated for, and sustained.
This edition of the newsletter highlights young professionals who are working across clinical care, community engagement, research, policy, and advocacy—bridging gaps between patients, systems, and decision-makers. Their journeys reflect a shift from hospital-centric models to people-centred, community-focused approaches.
As palliative care faces growing demand in India, young leaders are stepping forward to question existing structures, build evidence, tell powerful stories, and create future-ready solutions. Their voices remind us that the future of care is not only about systems and policies, but about values—compassion, persistence, and shared responsibility.
Editorial
The Future of Care: Youth Leadership in Palliative Care
Palliative care in India is often seen as a growing need. However, what’s less often recognized is the role young professionals are already playing in shaping its future. Across medicine, social work, research, advocacy, and community engagement, a new generation is redefining what care means, how it is delivered, and who it is meant for.
For many young professionals, the journey into palliative care begins not with certainty, but with discomfort—with unanswered questions about suffering, dignity, and inequality. For Dr. Parth Sharma, physician, researcher, and founding editor of Nivarana, the turning point came early in his career while working in oncology and emergency medicine. Witnessing unnecessary suffering, especially during COVID, led him to confront what he refers to as “the biggest puzzle in healthcare”: why something as basic as pain relief remains so limited. Inspired by Dr. M. R. Rajagopal’s work, he discovered that palliative care and public health provide ways to tackle suffering not just at the bedside but on a systemic level.
This desire to look beyond hospitals and into communities is a strong motivator among young professionals in palliative care. Dr. Parth chose community medicine because, as he puts it, “that’s where the problems lie.” In communities, the reach is wider, the realities clearer, and the impact potentially transformative.
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“Restorative Garden” to Foster Emotional Well-being and Nurturing Hope
Harnessing horticultural therapy in the field of palliative care
The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.” – Hanna Rion
About five months ago, I received a call from one of my colleagues and a volunteer, who loves gardening. They shared a proposal from the Department of Community Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, introducing the concept of horticultural therapy in palliative care.
As an individual who finds solace and joy among plants, this message got me curious as well as excited. It felt like an invitation to cultivate not just soil, but also the minds of our inpatient beneficiaries and caregivers, hope and restoration.
Further discussions with Ms. Parvathy A.K., PG Diploma in Horticultural Therapy, Dept of Community Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani gave me a better understanding of Horticultural therapy. It is both simple and powerful: horticultural therapy invites people into gentle contact with plants through activities such as planting, watering, nurturing, and watching life grow.
Pallium India Turned 22!
Pallium India marked 22 years of compassionate service in December 2025. From homes to hospitals, and from communities to policy spaces, this journey has been shaped by patients, families, volunteers, caregivers, professionals, and partners who believe that no one should suffer needlessly.
Welcome to a new edition of Pallium India’s newsletter. Thank you for joining us. Here you can find updates from the palliative care world, upcoming events including training for professionals and volunteers, interesting articles, career opportunities and so on.
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Checkmate for Palliative Care
Play for a Cause. Make Every Move Count.
Checkmate for Palliative Care, an online chess tournament initiated by Karina Grace, (Student and Sports Captain, Sishya School, Chennai and Founder of BeyondGrades) to spread awareness about palliative care and support patient care activitites in Pallium India through fundraising. This inspiring initiative invites players to play with purpose —turning strategy, skill, and passion for chess into support for compassionate palliative care. Join the game. Support care for those facing serious illness.
Checkmate Pain. Champion Care.
10 January 2026 | 7.30pm – 8.30pm | Online on Lichess.org
Beyond the Sessions: Reflections from the Field
A Glimpse into Compassion:
Visiting Deepsikha’s Hospice and Deepsikha Sishu Sthal
During my recent field visit in Guwahati, I had the opportunity to spend time at two remarkable care spaces run by Deepsikha (A Trust for Cancer Care)—Deepsikha’s Hospice and Deepsikha Sishu Sthal. Both centres demonstrate a strong dedication to dignity, comfort, and compassionate support for people living with serious illnesses and their families.
Deepsikha’s Hospice: A Quiet Haven of Care
Located in a serene and easily accessible part of the city, Deepsikha’s Hospice is a 20-bedded palliative care facility, currently caring for six patients. As soon as I stepped inside its doors, I was struck by how well this facility was maintained. It has the kind of environment that immediately reassures families that their loved ones are in safe hands.
An Escape from Suffering, A Day of Belonging
On 20 December 2025, something quietly beautiful happened. The Pallium India TIPS IP team organised a small escape for our palliative care beneficiaries and their families. To step outside illness and in to the world beyond their beds and walls, even if for a few hours.
For most of them, the world had grown very small. Social isolation had become a daily reality. The walls of their homes had become the limits of their universe. Time moved slowly, days felt heavy, and the absence of connection often deepened their pain. We wanted to change that, even if only for a day.
The idea was simple, fresh air, a movie, and a meal. When we told them about the plan, their excitement was immediate and palpable. After days of waiting, the day finally arrived. They dressed up with care, arrived early, and together we set off towards Poovar, with smiles, anticipation, and hope riding along with us.
Spreading Christmas Cheer with our Beneficiaries
Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences (TIPS), Pallium India
| Beneficiaries reached till October 2025: | 31,682 | |
| Palliative Care centres / services catalysed: | 226 | |
| Stakeholders trained (virtual and onsite): | 13,214 |
Upcoming Events, Trainings & Conferences
Openings
For more openings, visit our CAREERS page:
https://palliumindia.org/category/career
In case of queries, please write to us: career@palliumindia.org
Stay tuned for palliative care news, views and updates
Reports / News / Articles
Palliative Care in Andhra Pradesh
Key Insights from Field Visit
Regional Facilitator for Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Andaman & Nicobar, Spandana shares insights from her first field visit to Andhra Pradesh on the 10th and 11th of October 2025. Spandana had the opportunity to engage with NHM officials and several healthcare institutions. This visit helped her understand the current palliative care landscape and identify meaningful opportunities to strengthen and expand palliative care services across Andhra Pradesh.
NHM Andhra Pradesh
At NHM, discussions with Dr. Shyamala, NCD Head and Dr. Narsimha (Nodal officer) focused on integrating palliative care across districts and support in encouraging doctors and Nurses for training under BPCL project. NHM expressed strong support and agreed to nominate doctors and 30 nurses from each district for foundational palliative care courses.
Reflections from PHOSSCON 9
9th Pediatric Hematology Oncology Support Service Conference (PHOSSCON)
Date: 28th & 29th Nov 2025 | Venue: KMC Manipal, Udupi
The 9th Pediatric Hematology Oncology Support Service Conference (PHOSSCON) brought together pediatric oncologists, social workers, psychologists, palliative care professionals, NGOs, volunteers and civil society organizations working in the field of childhood cancer and supportive care.
I attended this national level conference as a representative of Pallium India, with the objective of:
- Understanding the role of civil society in pediatric palliative care
- Building network with professionals and organizations working in oncology & palliative care
- Exploring collaboration opportunities for Pallium India
The conference provided a deep insight into the medical, psychological, emotional & community-based dimensions of pediatric cancer care.
Video of the Month
Bill’s Story Let’s Talk Series
This short film explores the important role that friends and neighbours play in supporting someone who is seriously ill and their family. This film strongly emphasises our belief that when communities are empowered, achieving equitable access to care is possible.
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.
Join us in making India pain-free! Subscribe to our newsletter for updates.
Book of the Month
The Art of Dying Well
The Art of Dying Well is about living as well as possible for as long as possible and adapting successfully to change. Award-winning journalist and prominent end-of-life speaker, Katy Butler’s book is based on her own experience caring for aging parents and hundreds of interviews with people who have successfully navigated a fragmented health system and helped their loved ones have ‘good deaths’.
It also draws on interviews with experts in family medicine, palliative care, geriatrics, oncology, hospice, and other medical specialties. Inspired by the medieval death manual Ars Moriendi, or the Art of dying, the Art of Dying Well is the definitive update for our modern age and illuminates the path to a better end of life.
Walk with the Weary – by Dr M R Rajagopal
A masterclass in how to care for others deeply and compassionately no matter who they are, Walk with the Weary is simultaneously the story of Dr Rajagopal’s life and his calling and the world of Indian palliative care.
Palliative Care Telehealth
Call us: +91 964 588 4889 /
+91 860 688 4889
PARTING SHOT
Building Bridges with Private Hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram
On 23rd November, as a part of the Community-Based Palliative Care (CBPC) project, we conducted a sensitisation and orientation session for private hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram, with the aim of initiating conversations around integrating palliative care into routine healthcare services. What appeared on paper as a straightforward orientation programme soon became a deeply instructive journey in persistence, relationship-building, and faith in the process.
As part of the initial planning, we reached out to 24 private hospitals across Thiruvananthapuram. From the beginning, one of the biggest challenges was the level of participation we were hoping for. For meaningful institutional integration, it was important that decision-makers such as MDs, CEOs, CMOs, and senior management representatives were part of the conversation. Reaching this level of leadership, however, was far from easy.
The programme was scheduled on a Sunday, which further complicated matters, especially given the nature of corporate hospitals where weekends are often tightly structured or reserved. The initial responses were largely discouraging.
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Contact us: info@palliumindia.org / 97467 45497
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