February 2026 - Pallium India

Published on: February 2, 2026

Love that Cares: Compassion Beyond Cure

This February, as the world celebrates love with roses and ribbons, we turn our gaze to a quieter, deeper form of love – one that shows up in hospital rooms, homes, and communities every day. In palliative care, love is presence when cure is not possible, comfort when pain overwhelms, and dignity when life feels fragile.

Love That Cares explores the many faces of compassion in healthcare – how empathy, service, and solidarity transform the experience of serious illness. This theme honours everyday acts of caregivers, nurses, doctors, social workers, volunteers, and those who walk alongside patients and families with unwavering kindness.

This Valentine’s season, we celebrate love not just as emotion, but as action that endures, listens, and uplifts.

‘Be My Valentine!’: From Dr. M. R. Rajagopal’s Desk

No one would argue that spiritual care is an essential part of palliative care. The confusion often lies in how we define spiritual care. Many associate the word ‘spiritual’ with God, faith or religion.

We believe that spiritual suffering is deeply connected to a person’s sense of meaning and connectedness to the world. For many, this connection may indeed be through God or religion. But not for everybody; for some, it could be family. But if someone feels, “No one cares for me. Why am I alive?” that is extreme anguish. Such disconnectedness can lead to a complete loss of meaning in life.

So, what is the answer? If someone has been abandoned, or even if in the midst of a family feels ‘no one cares’, that person is spiritually vulnerable, and may even wish for life to end.

The simple answer is love! To be that person’s Valentine, to convey that ‘I care for you’. If the person does not have a family, be their family.

This February, be the valentine for someone who needs your love most!

Love Beyond Labels

What Palliative Care Taught me about Love

When we hear the word love, most of us instinctively think of romance—partners, lovers, Valentine’s Day hearts. But love has never been that small. Love is not limited to one person or one relationship. It exists in listening, in kindness, in presence, in compassion.

In palliative care, love is everywhere—often quiet, often invisible, but deeply powerful.

It shows up when we sit beside someone who is suffering and simply stay.
When we listen without rushing to fix.
When we hold space without judgment or expectation.

Here, love is not about grand gestures or perfect words. It is about being human with another human.

Love Is a Verb

Love is not always spoken.
For some, it looks like words.
For others, it looks like silence.
For many, it looks like showing up—again and again—even when it’s uncomfortable.

In palliative care, love may mean helping someone feel heard after years of being ignored. It may mean holding a trembling hand, advocating for dignity, or gently reminding someone that they are not a burden.

Read more>>

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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Dr. Rajagopal Featured on The Health Worker

Azim Premji Foundation has embarked on a comprehensive and far-reaching range of initiatives in health. This includes direct community health interventions in urban slums; strengthening last-mile public health systems across more than 60 districts; establishing secondary and tertiary hospitals in six states; offering medical and allied health education; and supporting public spirited organisations working in health.

The Health Worker is an initiative of the Foundation — a website and monthly digest that brings together inspiring stories, thoughtful perspectives, and practical resources from the frontlines of public health. The initiative is intended to foster learning, reflection, and dialogue among those committed to health equity and service, and also to create a community of such individuals. The highlighted story this week is an inspiring interview with Dr. M.R. Rajagopal of Pallium India.

Watch the video here>>

Help us Alleviate Serious Health-Related Suffering in India. Start a Fundraiser!

Did you Know?

Less than 4% of India’s 1.4 billion people have access to Palliative care.
1 in 5 suicides in India is by a person living with an advanced, chronic, or life-limiting condition.
Like in most low or middle-income countries, the need for palliative care is greater in India than in the west simply because disease-specific treatment does not reach patients adequately or early enough.
catastrophic out-of-pocket health expenditure pushes 55 million Indians below the poverty line every year, (Lancet 2018)

Your donations can help us provide Medicines & Consumables, Monthly Food Kits, Education Support to Children, Home Care and so much more for patients who are suffering from serious health issues.

Start a Fundraiser. For details, write to: [email protected]

Beyond the Sessions: Reflections from the Field

From Mentorship to Milestone:

Aangan’s Inpatient Palliative Care Ward Opens in Vasai, Maharashtra

Some journeys in palliative care unfold quietly through conversations, mentoring sessions, persistent follow ups and shared dreams, and then one day, they take a tangible form that reminds us why we do what we do.

Over the last one year or so, I have had the privilege of mentoring Light of Life, an NGO based in Mumbai, as they took steady steps towards integrating palliative care into their services.

What began as discussions on need, feasibility and approach has now culminated into a remarkable milestone. The inauguration of a 16-bedded inpatient palliative care ward named “Aangan” at Swami Shradhanand Hospital, Vasai on 14^th Jan 2026.

Being invited to witness and be part of this inauguration was deeply moving, not just as a mentor, but as a representative of Pallium India’s larger mission to expand access to compassionate palliative care across the country.

With the founder and CEO, Light of Life, Mumbai

Read more>>

A Compassionate ‘Move’

Karina Grace, an 11th grader and Sports Captain at Sishya School in Chennai, initiated: ‘Checkmate for Palliative Care’- an awareness driven fundraising campaign aimed to promote the message of palliative care. Conceived through her platform Beyond Grades and in partnership with Pallium India, the initiative used the strategic world of chess to spark conversations around palliative care—care that focuses on comfort, dignity, and compassion for people living with serious illness.

Karina’s interest in neuroscience goes beyond academics; she’s drawn to understanding how health affects not just the body, but emotions and families too. Her curiosity led her to Pallium India, where she discovered what care truly means—comfort, care and compassion when people need it most. Learning about our work inspired her to contribute in a real and practical way.

Chess had been part of her life for years, teaching her patience, focus, and the power of thoughtful decisions. She saw a beautiful parallel: in chess, as in life and care, every move matters. With that insight, Checkmate for Palliative Care was born.

Read more>>

Pallium India at MBIFL 2026

Pallium India participated in MBIFL 2026 with a dedicated stall (Stall No. 3), sharing space with a vibrant mix of for-profit and non-profit organisations. The festival offered a meaningful platform to highlight Pallium India’s Rehabilitation pillar, showcasing creative products made by our care recipients—crochet items, scented candles, edibles, jute bags, murals, and more. All proceeds from the sales directly support our patients under rehabilitation care. Dr. Rajagopal’s books were also displayed, drawing interest from literature enthusiasts and visitors alike.

Read more>>

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

**Faculty Development Program in Palliative Medicine (FDP)**

**Foundation Course in Palliative Nursing (FCPN)**

**Foundation Course in Palliative Medicine (FCPM)**

**Nursing Faculty Development Program (NFDP**)

Openings

For more openings, visit our CAREERS page:
https://palliumindia.org/category/career

In case of queries, please write to us: [email protected]

Stay tuned for palliative care news, views and updates

Reports / News / Articles

Pallium India Recognised by District Administration for Palliative Care Services

Pallium India was recognised for its contributions to palliative care services in Thiruvananthapuram district at a district-level meeting convened by the District Collector, Ms. Anu Kumari, on 16^th January 2026, following Kerala Palliative Care Day observed on 15^th January.

Dr. Greeshma represented Pallium India at the meeting, which was organised to identify and coordinate NGOs and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) providing free palliative care services across the district. The gathering brought together representatives from registered palliative care units, with over 50 participants attending from various organisations.

Read more>>

Expanding Global Footprint

Pallium India Signs MoU to Support Palliative Care in Libya

Pallium India, Trivandrum, Kerala, and the Libyan Society of Palliative Care and Prolonged Critical Care, Tripoli, Libya, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in areas related to palliative care and prolonged critical care.

Dr. Fathi Abousnina, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Libyan Society of Palliative Care and Prolonged Critical Care, stated that the society and Libyan doctors look forward to collaborating in every possible way to improve access to and quality of palliative care in Libya.

Read more>>

Make Pain Relief a Core Part of Medical Education

Millions of people in India live and die in pain simply because doctors are not adequately trained in palliative care and pain management. While palliative care is recognised globally as an essential component of healthcare, it remains largely absent from undergraduate medical education in India.

A petition has been launched urging the National Medical Commission (NMC) to include palliative care pharmacology in the undergraduate medical curriculum. This is a critical step toward ensuring every future doctor understands pain relief, symptom control, and compassionate care.

Your voice matters. By signing this petition, you are supporting a future where no patient is left to suffer needlessly, and every doctor is equipped to provide humane, dignified care.

👉 Sign the petition and share it widely.

Strengthening District-Level Capacity Building in Palliative Care

Pallium India played a pivotal academic and mentoring role in a three-day Workshop-cum-Training Programme under the National Programme for Palliative Care (NPPC) held in Srinagar. The programme was organised to build capacity among doctors and nurses nominated under the National Health Mission (NHM) from districts across the region, with the specific objective of enabling each district to initiate and strengthen palliative care services.

The training brought together identified district-level medical officers and nursing professionals who will function as nodal teams for palliative care service delivery, marking a significant step toward decentralised, sustainable, and equitable access to palliative care.

Read more>>

BMC Palliative Care Calls for Papers on Home-based Palliative Care

Home-based palliative care is an essential component of healthcare
that emphasizes providing comprehensive support to patients with
life-limiting illnesses in the comfort of their own homes. Research has demonstrated that home-based palliative care can lead to improved quality of life, reduced hospital admissions, and increased patient and family satisfaction, making it a critical area for ongoing exploration.

BMC Palliative Care is currently welcoming submissions of
original research to the “Home-based palliative care” Collection. Submissions will be welcomed until 10 May 2026. If you are interested, submit your manuscript here.

KUHS Introduces Self-Learning Palliative Care Programme for Interns

The first batch of self-learning course “Principles of Palliative Care for Interns”, jointly conducted by the School of Family Health Studies (SFHS), Kerala University of Health Sciences and Pallium India, was formally inaugurated at 7.00 PM on 21 January 2025.

The programme commenced with a welcome address by Dr Geeta M. Govindaraj, Professor, SFHS. The course was inaugurated by Dr Mohanan Kunnummal, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, KUHS, who expressed the University’s strong commitment to institutionalising this course with the aim of nurturing compassion and empathy among medical interns. He also noted that KUHS would probably be the first university in India to implement such a course across all medical colleges under the University.

Read more>>

This Valentine’s, dedicate warm meals for our patients in the IP in the name of your Loved ones!
Sponsor a meal

From February 1st to 14th.
For details, please contact: [email protected]

Video of the Month

The Health Worker with RamG Vallath

The Kerala Model: How Dr. Rajagopal Revolutionized Palliative Care in India

Listen to Dr. M R Rajagopal in conversation with RamG Vallath of The Health Worker, an initiative by Azim Premji Foundation intending to foster learning, reflection, and dialogue among those committed to health equity and service, and also to create a community of such individuals.

Click here to watch the video

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.

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Book of the Month

Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully

In this book, hospice and palliative care nurse Julie McFadden, known to her 1.5 million followers on TikTok as @hospicenursejulie, helps people to discuss death honestly, and teaches us how to prepare for the end of our lives with hope and acceptance. A comforting and informative guide that demystifies our end-of-life journey, the book interweaves emotional insight and practical advice covering topics including:

the biological details of dying
which medical interventions help and which only make things worse
the otherworldly beauty of deathbed phenomena
financial and logistical preparations for death
facts and myths about hospice care
the most important conversations to have before you die
the grieving process, before and after death

Julie McFadden is a hospice/palliative care nurse with more than fifteen years of experience.

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.