World Day 2007: India - Trivandrum, Kerala
Regional Cancer Centre Trivandrum, Kerala
We had a lovely day of celebrations on the occasion of the World Palliative Care Day on the 6th of October 2007, the cardinal events were:
1) Inauguration of HELP for the HILLS. , This is a Tele Link for Palliative Care between the Regional Cancer Centre Trivandrum, Kerala and Pain and Palliative Care Centre Adimali which is 300 kms away. Adimali and Munnar are exquisitely beautiful locales, a must see tourist destination, at altitudes over 3000 feet, with rolling greenery, luscious tea plantations, rivulets, resembling a English county with the legacy of colonial hang-ups still present.
Link to Kerala Telemedicine - OncoNET *)
HELP stands for Hear, Ease, Link, Palliate and this venture was possible with funding from Help the Hospice UK and is going to benefit hundreds of beleaguered cancer patients
2) ‘Reach and Teach'. A decorated vehicle with the WHPCD logo was used to take the message of Palliative care throughout the city with public meetings at important parks. This was flagged off by the State Health Minister Mrs P.K Sreemathy
3) My views were solicited for various news media and were very well covered and appreciated
Read more in The Hindu - Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Dr. Cherian Koshy, Head of the Department of Palliative Care at RCC in the city, elaborates on ‘Help for the Hills,' a tele-conferencing facility between RCC and The Pain and Palliative Care Society in Adimali, to be inaugurated today, "It will save patients the trouble of travelling the hilly terrain.
Kerala Telemedicine - OncoNET *)
RCC established Onconet in September 2004 with the help of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and CDAC, Trivandrum.
Contact information:
Dr Cherian Koshy,
E-mail: cheriankoshi@yahoo.co.in
Head of Division,
Palliative Care, Regional Cancer Centre,
Trivandrum
http://www.rcctvm.org
Narrative History of Palliative Care in India
The concept of palliative care is relatively new to India, having been introduced only since the mid 1980s. Hospice and palliative care services in India have been developed through the enormous effort of committed individuals who include Indian health professionals and volunteers, in collaboration with international organisations and individuals from other countries. - read more
Current palliative care services in India