E-Paper
World Hospice and Palliative Care Day: End-stage care all but missing from U.P. medical facilities
This year, the theme of the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (October 14) is ‘Compassionate Communities: Together for Palliative Care.’
.LUCKNOW
“The concept of a hospice is yet to take hold in Uttar Pradesh. In fact, we are at a nascent stage where general care of elderly has started at a few centres but hospice care is yet to be made available,” said Prof Kauser Usman, HoD geriatric medicine, King George’s Medical University (KGMU).
The basic goal of palliative care is to ease the suffering of a patient in a terminal-stage disease and make the experience as pleasant as possible. This year, the theme of the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (October 14) is ‘Compassionate Communities: Together for Palliative Care.’
Sample this. The palliative care unit of the KGMU started home care service in 2016 and till now 260 patients have benefited from it. “Obviously the need is much more. Just as new hospitals are coming up, we need to get palliative care centres too, keeping in view the pain and suffering of those in end-stage disease,” said Dr Sudhir Singh of department of radiotherapy at KGMU.
KGMU has a 10-bed palliative care unit while in the private sector not even a dozen such centres run in the state capital.
“Less than 1% of the population has access to palliative care. Despite the need, hospice care isn’t available as only numbered people are trained in this,” said Dr Abhishek Shukla, head of the Aastha Hospice and Geriatric Care Centre.
Palliative care is required for patients with life-limiting disease such as cancer, and when patient response to treatment is actually not benefiting much. A hospice is needed when doctors have given up and a few months of life are left.
“Suffering whether it is physical or mental, troubles a lot. Hence, palliative care also talks about counselling for both the patients and family members,” said Dr Shukla.
