North Zone: World Hospice & Palliative Care Day Celebration at
AIIMS, New Delhi
The World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) was celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervour by the Department of Onco-Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine, AIIMS, New Delhi. Keeping in sync with this year’s theme of ‘Leave no one behind’, the core of the celebrations, cantered around generating awareness on the role of palliative care in managing non-malignant chronic diseases. Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS New Delhi, was the Chief Guest and Dr. Lalit Kumar, Chief, BRAIRCH and NCI, was the Guest of Honour. Senior faculties from the departments of neurology, cardiology, nephrology, pulmonology, paediatrics and other oncological branches graced the occasion.
The event began with a session by caregivers. Caregivers of our patients’ came forward and shared their experiences of being in touch with palliative medicine and caring for their patients at end stages of life. This was followed by a great skit, which was performed by the young and dynamic junior residents from the Department of Palliative Medicine, to showcase the importance of palliative medicine in chronic pulmonary diseases. This was very well received and appreciated by everyone.
This was followed by a panel discussion on the role of Palliative Medicine in non-malignant chronic diseases in which senior faculties from cardiology, neurology, pulmonology and nephrology shared their views on the need for palliative medicine for their patients and pledged to work together to formulate a basic palliative care curriculum for their respective departments in collaboration with department of palliative medicine.
The event concluded with remarks from the Dr. Lalit Kumar, Chief, BRAIRCH and NCI, and Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, New Delhi
