Published on: June 26, 2014

Kerala’s flag flew high during a workshop on “Innovative practices in the health sector” organized at Bhubaneshwar, Odisha on 23-24 June 2014. About 80 senior officials from all over Odisha attended the workshop where 14 innovators in health care from various parts of the country got together to listen, discuss and learn. The program was organized by the Centre for Innovations in Public Systems (CIPS).

Two innovations from Kerala found their way into the list of 14. One was the palliative care movement of Kerala, presented by the Chairman of Pallium India, Dr M. R.Rajagopal, and the other, the journey towards quality by Dr Haneesh Meerasa of Government General Hospital, Ernakulam, the latter describing the growth of a government hospital to an NABH accredited institution. Incidentally, the palliative care unit at that hospital is a very successful example for the whole country, and we congratulate Dr Mathews Numpeli as well as the doctors in the hospital for making that happen.

What will this workshop achieve? Will it help to reduce the disease-related suffering in the country?

We think, yes, because a critical mass of health activists have now been sensitized. Several people from the faculty and participants expressed interest in starting palliative care in their respective states.