Pallium India is a national registered charitable trust (No. 693/IV/2003) formed in 2003. It is an NGO based out of Trivandrum, Kerala, with the objective of alleviating serious health-related suffering (SHS) of 7-10 million people in India. We strive to demonstrate quality palliative care, to educate professionals and the public, and facilitate development of palliative care services across India.
Vision
An India in which palliative care is integrated in all health care so that every person has access to effective pain relief and quality palliative care along with disease–specific treatment and across the continuum of care.
Mission
To catalyze the development of effective pain relief and quality palliative care services and their integration in health care across India through delivery of services, education, building capacities, policy, research, advocacy and information.
Core Values
- The patient is the most important consideration. Commitment to Pallium India will be secondary to commitment to the patient and family.
- ‘Care’ is the right of the patient and family and we stand committed to giving it to them. ‘Care’ is not a charity that we give them. By giving us the opportunity to care for them, they are enriching our lives.
- Compassionate and competent care valuing human dignity is at the very heart of what we do and why we exist. We shall endeavour to do the right thing for the right reason as best as we can.
- We recognise the strength of the social capital and shall engage in a partnership with the community enlisting the support of volunteers and other community entities, creating the capacity to meet community needs.
- Each one of us shall treat everyone else with respect, remembering that every individual is superior to each one of us in some way.
- We shall embrace the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice, exercising them to the best interest of those we care for.
Founder’s Message
“Millions in India experience serious illness-related suffering – some writhe in pain, some gasp for breath, many are submerged in the depths of depression, tens of thousands take their own lives while another hundreds of thousands try to and fail.
They are not a vote-bank. They cannot vote because they are too weakened by suffering. Their voice is mute. They don’t have a seat at the table where decisions are made. They become invisible.
The health system focuses only on diseases, turning its back on this unmitigated suffering.
We refuse to turn away.
We will make them visible.
We will ease any pain we can.
We will wipe any tears we can,”
Dr. M.R.Rajagopal