Is it Time to Revise Medical Ethics? – Dr Pratyasa Padhi, Bhubaneswar One afternoon, while visiting the medical oncology ward for palliative care consultations, I encountered a 45-year-old man with a bandage on his right lower limb, sitting on the bed alongside his wife. As I was about to see him, the ward attendant informed…
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Distress to de-stress: A journey – Dr. Ravi Kiran Pothamsetty, Madurai Mrs. Shanti (name changed for confidentiality), a 66-year-old female and a post-treated case of endometrial and ovarian carcinoma recently visited the Medical Oncology OPD with her daughter-in-law, exhibiting despair and mood turbulence. She was referred to the Palliative Care team. We introduced her our…
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Reflections from a Nurses Diary – Dr Kripa Angeline A and Dr Kingsle Kishore Coumar, Puducherry Our team of palliative care nurses cared for a 34-year-old female patient diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the stomach in 2023. Her journey was particularly complex, given her history as an Operation Theater assistant and her numerous medical challenges: she…
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Chef SM – Ms. Alpa Dharamshi, Bengaluru As a volunteer counselor, I regularly visit Karunashraya (Bangalore Hospice Trust), a hospice where patients often have only weeks, days, or even hours left to live. While one might expect such a place to be filled with despair and sadness, it’s surprisingly peaceful. When you enter the hospice,…
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From Pain to Possibility: The Role of Physiotherapy in Palliative Care – Mr Jarapla Srinivas Nayak, Bengaluru Physiotherapy in palliative care is centered on enhancing comfort and fostering independence. Unlike other healthcare settings focusing on full recovery, palliative care aims to manage symptoms, maintain mobility, and support the physical and emotional well-being of patients facing…
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Will you walk with me till death? – Ms Vandana Mahajan, New Delhi Aamir (Name changed) was 28 years old when I met him for the first time. It was a busy day at the OPD. I was talking to a few people when one of the doctors called out to me, “Can you please counsel…
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Reflections from a silent guardian: The vital role of a social worker in palliative care – Ms Vahini Bodasing, Hyderabad The vital role discharged by a Social worker in hospice care often goes unnoticed. Social workers help provide essential emotional support, facilitate communication, and help arrange practical assistance for palliative care patients and their families…
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Mishti Doi: From Chennai to Cooch Behar – Dr. Meenakshi V V, Chennai Unrelenting lower limb pain with an ominous looking lesion in the lumbar vertebral space brought 9-year-old Ajay (name changed) and his family from West Bengal to Cancer Institute (WIA), Chennai, in November 2022. The family’s worst fears were confirmed when the oncologists…
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Individual grief manifests as love for the community – Ms. Sailaja Tripathy, Bhubaneswar Deepesh’s association with Amrit Dhara Palliative Care Trust (ADPCT) was made possible by Ms Namrata Rath (Managing Trustee and Secretary, ADPCT), who was a source of support during his cancer treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. Deepesh was a 25-year-old gentleman who was…
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Death at my doorstep – Dr Sharada Vinod Kutty, New Delhi I’ve been a medical student since 2004. I remember how I would run from the wards to the outpatient departments to the medical camps and so on. I was like a sponge trying to imbibe all the information around me. I particularly loved my…
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