Awards and Recognitions
Dr Sushma Bhatnagar is now the Chief of Dr B.R.A IRCH, AIIMS, New Delhi and Head, NCI, Jhajjar
We are delighted to share that Dr Sushma Bhatnagar, President, IAPC, and Professor and Head, Dept. of Onco Anesthesia and Palliative Medicine, AIIMS, New Delhi, will now be the Chief of Dr B R Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (Dr B.R. A. IRCH), AIIMS, New Delhi, and also the Head of National Cancer Institute (NCI), Jhajjar with effect from Friday, 1st July, 2022.
On this occasion Dr Bhatnagar shares, “With the immense blessings from my parents, my elders, and the unconditional love of my youngsters and my patients, I accept this new role. Be rest assured that I will continue to work harder and with much more enthusiasm, as I now embark on a journey with a bigger team of oncologists. This new role will also allow us to propel the development of palliative care in the country, together”.
Congratulations, Dr Bhatnagar! Keep shining and growing!
Dr E Divakaran bestowed with the ‘Best Doctor Award: Voluntary Sector’, by Kairali Television
It is with immense pleasure we share that Dr E Divakaran, Director, Institute of Palliative Care, Pain and Palliative Care Society, Thrissur, is the proud recipient of the ‘Best Doctor Award: Voluntary Sector’, by Kairali Television.
Dr Divakaran received the award from Smt. Veena George, Hon. Health Minister of Kerala, and Padmashri Bharat Mr Mammootty, in a star studded event held at IMA House in Kochi, on Sunday, 11th June, 2022.
The award recognises Dr Divakaran’s contribution in the area of Palliative Care service delivery.
On this momentous occasion, Dr Divakaran shares, “Addressing the suffering of patients is not an optional extra; it is the moral and ethical obligation of any health care professional”.
Congratulations, Dr Divakaran! Keep inspiring us!
Sparsh Hospice receives the ‘Spirit of Humanity Award’ from Americares India Foundation
We are elated to share that Sparsh Hospice, Hyderabad, was awarded the ‘Spirit of Humanity Award’ by Americares India Foundation, in their 11th Annual Awards ceremony held at Mumbai on Wednesday, 22nd June, 2022. Sparsh Hospice is a project of the Rotary Club of Banjara Hills Charitable Trust.
Sparsh Hospice received this award under the ‘Health category’ in acknowledgement of their services to over 5,000 needy terminally-ill patients and their family members.
The Sparsh Team shares, “We are trying to narrow the demand-supply gap for our terminally ill patients, as we understand that without due recognition to palliative care, we cannot achieve Universal Health Coverage, which is an integral part of the Sustainable Development Goals”.
Congratulations Team Sparsh! Wish you many more such laurels!
Dr Gauraiya Chinchalkar, Dr Rucha Patil and Dr Shamali Poojary receive the ASCO Foundation’s ‘International Development and Education Award-Palliative Care’
We are excited to share that the Conquer Cancer’s American Society of Clinical Oncology awards, the ‘International Development and Education Award-Palliative Care’ (IDEA-PC) has been awarded to Dr Shamali Poojary, for 2022, and to Dr Gauraiya Chinchalkar and Dr Rucha Patil for 2020.
The three stars received the award on Friday, 3rd June, 2022, at the ASCO’s 56th Annual Meeting held at Chicago, USA (first in-person meeting since the pandemic).
This award is presented in recognition of the commitment to cancer research and accelerating breakthroughs that will make a difference in the lives of those affected by cancer, by each of these three young Doctors.
The young doctors share that participating at the ASCO’s 56th Annual Meeting provided them with an excellent opportunity to connect with people sharing similar interests, and to mutually exchange knowledge and experiences. They also highlighted that they visited and participated in clinical rounds and saw patients in both the Out-patient and In-patient unit of the Department of Palliative Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine, and that they were both grateful and inspired by their interactions with a few of the pioneers from the field of Oncology.
Congratulations Dr Gauraiya Chinchalkar, Dr Rucha Patil and Dr Shamali Poojary! We wish you the best for all your future endeavours!
Dr Jyothsna Kuriakose, awarded the ‘Best Outgoing Student Award (2021)’, by the Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai
We are proud to share that Dr Jyothsna Kuriakose, is the recipient of the ‘Best Outgoing Student Award (2021)’ awarded by the Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai.
Dr Jyothsna received this award on Friday, 3rd June, 2022, on the occasion of HBNI Foundation Day, organised at the Department of Atomic Energy Convention Centre, Mumbai. The award was presented to her by Shri S. Somanath, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and Secretary, Department of Space, Government of India.
The award acknowledges Dr Jyothsna’s excellence in academics, extracurricular activities and for her other contributions to the society during her residency.
On receiving the award, an excited Dr Jyothsna shares, “It was indeed a humbling moment for me as a student; I owe it to my teachers in Palliative Medicine who have bestowed their pearls of wisdom in me and for gently guiding me throughout my residency”.
Congratulations, Dr Jyothsna! We wish you further laurels!
Ms Anu Savio Thelly, Dr Latha A and Ms Sangeetha N, are this year’s Lantern Scholars from India
Ms Anu Savio Thelly, Nurse Consultant, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Pondicherry, Dr Latha A, Faculty, College of Nursing, AIIMS, Jodhpur, and Ms Sangeetha N Nursing Tutor, Karunashraya, Bengaluru, have received scholarships to attend this year’s Lantern Program offered by St Christophers Hospice, United Kingdom.
The Lantern program is a one year international programme which offers nurses and their organisations a framework to build and mould their care delivery and nursing practices so that patients and their caregivers continue to receive the best possible care at the end of their lives. The program aims to highlight the unique, vital and skilled role and the contribution of nurses while they care for the dying or the bereaved.
On being awarded the scholarships, the Lantern Scholars’ from India share:
“We are so happy for this appreciation. This collaborative learning has helped us network with palliative care nurses from across the globe and has also provided us with a platform to develop advocacy, leadership, and team-building skills. I’m thankful to St.Christophers for giving us this wonderful opportunity.”, Anu Savio Thelly.
“Lantern webinars are inspiring and enriching. We wish to learn more regarding the subject, the evidence that exists and the best practices. We need to create a palliative care nursing community in India. We have also planned to undertake a few projects in collaboration with palliative care nursing pioneers in India.”, Dr Latha A.
“The webinar series is helping us to revisit our daily practice from multiple viewpoints. We are taught to analyse the roles and responsibilities of palliative care nurses in providing holistic care to the patients who are in End of Life in our Hospice. This has been an excellent global platform for mutual sharing of learnings and experiences.”, Ms Sangeetha.
Dr Chitra Venkateswaran delivered an excellent TEDx talk on ‘How Palliative Care can change the way we practice medicine?’
We are thrilled to share that Dr Chitra Venkateswarn delivered an excellent TEDx talk at TEDxAIIMSPatna on Friday, 3rd June, 2022.
The 16 minute talk touches upon the need for palliative care in today’s world, snippets from Dr Venkateswaran’s journey as a doctor and as a palliative care professionals and with her urging for the imminent integration of Palliative Care into a country’s Health System.
Excerpts from the very interesting talk as below:
“We as doctors are trained to cure and save everyone, however in reality that doesn't happen.. We are able to cure and save only a small number than expected. How do we shift this focus from curing to caring and healing?”
“We as people have been grossly reminded about suffering and death (in post covid era) and we have started talking about dying and the issues related to dying.. At this juncture, palliative care seems to be most needed to address not only the quality of life but also the quality of dying, and from treating illness to alleviating suffering and start talking about it.. Illnesses are becoming chronic.. People are living longer with such illnesses and they have problems that stay with them”
“In humanitarian settings which includes the most vulnerable, palliative care needs are not limited only to the life threatening or life limiting illnesses like cancer.. Illness related suffering accompanies a wide range of serious conditions especially due to the limited access to services for preventing, diagnosing and managing illnesses and also because there is scarce social support for these people.. This is very important for a country like India. This concept is actively discussed in global forums.”
Please click here to watch Dr Venkateswaran’s complete talk.
Congratulations, Dr Chitra!
‘Karun Sparsh’, a free palliative and home care service launched in Chandigarh, on 30th May 2022
Terminally ill cancer patients from Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, are happy to welcome the establishment of ‘Karun Sparsh’, a free palliative and home care service, a project of the Rotary Club of Ambala, and the Cancer and General Hospital, Ambala Cantt. The center will be operational in association with the Sanathan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha (Punjab) New Delhi, and the Sanathan Dharm Education Board.
Dr Deshbandhu, President, Sanathan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha (Punjab) New Delhi, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and also inaugurated the center. He mentioned that the Sanathan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha would provide land for the center at the Goswami Ganesh Datt Bhavan at Chandigarh.
Several other Rotarians were also present at the inaugural ceremony.
Please contact Mr HR Bhardwaj at +91 9416458599 to avail these services.
CanSupport and the Suri Seva Foundation jointly launch the ‘Pritpal CanSupport Home Palliative Care Service’, at Jamshedpur on 1st June, 2022
The ‘Pritpal CanSupport Home Palliative Care Service’, a free palliative home care service provider and the first of its kind in the city, was launched on Wednesday, 1st July, 2022, in Jamshedpur. This project is a joint collaborative project of CanSupport and Suri Seva Foundation (SSF), a Michigan, US based non-profit corporation.
With the launch of these services, those suffering with cancer will now be able to avail free palliative care services which include nursing and psychosocial support from within the comfort of their own homes.
The Pritpal CanSupport Home Palliative Care Service will begin service provisioning with one home care team comprising of a doctor, a nurses, a nurse counselor and a Public Relations Officer.
On the occasion Ms Harmala Gupta, Founder, Cansupport, shared “Regular travelling of long distances is arduous for the cancer patients, and, also expansive to the family of the patient. It is a great thing to happen if palliative care is made available at their doorstep” via her video message.
Please click here to read further details about this project.