Awards and Recognitions
IMA Kerala felicitated Dr Biji M S and Dr Biju Raghavan with the ‘President’s Appreciation Award’, on 10th November, 2024
We are thrilled to share that Dr Biji M S (Assistant Professor and Head In-charge, Department of Cancer Palliative Medicine, MCC, Thalassery, Kerala) and Dr Biju Raghavan (Senior Consultant and Head, Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine, Rajagiri Hospital, Aluva, Kerala) received the Indian Medical Association Kerala Chapter’s ‘President’s Appreciation Award’, during the 67th Annual State Conference of the Indian Medical Association’s (Kerala State Branch) at Thrissur, Kerala, on Sunday, 10th November, 2024.
While Dr Biji was presented the award in appreciation of her commitment, dedication and hardwork towards building capacity of doctors in palliative care across the State as Convenor for the IMA Kerala State Branch, Committee for Palliative Care, 2023 – 2024; Dr Biju received the award in the category of ‘Leadership and Communication Skills Training Programs’ for his contributions towards training innumerable professionals in leadership and communication skills training in palliative care.
On the occasion Dr Biji shared, “I thank IMA Kerala for this recognition. This award acknowledges my work during the past year, as the Convenor for the IMA Kerala State Branch, Committee for Palliative Care, during which we along with support from IPM, Calicut, were able train over 250 doctors in IMA from all over the State in the basics of palliative care. On this occasion, I am also proud to share that the program has been well accepted and that IMA will continue this much needed capacity building initiative even in the following term”.
When we reached out to Dr Biju, he shared, “I am overwhelmed to be recognised for something that I’m so passionate about. On this occasion, I remember with fondness (Late) Ms Val Hunkin, my first communication skills trainer from the UK. I am also grateful to my other teachers and mentors like Dr. M.R. Rajagopal, Dr. Gayatri Palate, Dr. Chitra Venkateswaran, Dr. Mhoira Leng, and Dr. Indu Arneja who have invested their time, energy and knowledge, and to make me who I am today, professionally. I also thank IMA Kerala for bestowing me with this honour which only motivates me further to pursue my passion and life’s mission with renewed vigour”.
Congratulations, Dr Biji and Dr Biju! We wish you the best in your future endeavours.
SVYM’s Dharwad Chapter awarded the ‘Dheemanta Sanmana Award’ on 12th November, 2024, by the Hubbali – Dharwad Municipal Corporation
We are pleased to share that the Swamy Vivekananda Youth Movement’s (SVYM) Dharwad Chapter received the ‘Dheemanta Sanmana Award’ at an event held at at the Indira Glass House in Hubballi, on Tuesday, 12th November, 2024, to commemorate Kannada Rajyotsava.
The award was presented by the Hubbali – Dharwad Municipal Corporation, to SVYM’s Dharwad Chapter in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the field and for building the human and social capital of communities in the region. Mr Jayanth S (Head, Dharwad Chapter, SVYM) received the award (on behalf of the organisation) along with 69 other outstanding individuals and organisations represented by 22 different fields.
SVYM’s Palliative Care Program began post covid, and reaches deserving families through free home based care in and around Dharwad. Over time, SVYM partnered with institutions such as DIMHANS and many more to be able to reach the unreached, introducing palliative care for individuals served with mental health support towards better outcomes. Additionally, SVYM also runs several other initiatives in the space of education, women and youth empowerment program etc.
When we reached out to them on the occasion, Mr Jayath shared “We feel honoured to receive this award in recognition of our services. This award also provided our organisation with a platform to gain greater visibility in the Hubbali – Dharwad region. We are also happy that palliative care and its benefits are being recognised by our community. Moving forward, we will continue to care for our patients with a greater responsibility.”
Congratulations Team SVYM Dharwad Chapter! We wish you continued growth.
CanSupport celebrated 28 years of service on 8th November, 2024
CanSupport is India’s biggest Home-Based Palliative Care service provider with over 34 teams actively working in 6 states (Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh) to provide quality palliative care for those in need of such services. As of June 2024, CanSupport has been able to organise over 14,500 home care visits and has almost 8,500 patients visiting their 8 Out-patient clinics.
Team CanSupport celebrated this milestone virtually, with employees from CanSupport’s various centers logging in for a virtual celebration in which they reminisced about their journey with CanSupport over the years. The session bore witness to both heartwarming stories and inspirational stories which encouraged and motivated each other.
On this occasion the team shared, “The surpassing of this milestone is a testament to the resilience, persistence, and the contributions of everyone who had, and those who continue to be a part of the organisation over the years. As we look back at 1996 when we started to now where we are in 2024, we are proud to have forged a different path from that of other palliative care programs in India since our inception. As we became India’s biggest Home-Based Palliative Care Program, we wish to keep on with the movement onwards and spread our reach further.”
Congratulations Team CanSupport! We wish you surpass many such milestones!
The Department of Palliative Medicine, AIMS, Kochi, inaugurated a virtual Palliative Patient Support group on 16th November, 2024
The Department of Palliative Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Kochi, Kerala, inaugurated a virtual Palliative Patient Support group on Saturday, 16th November, 2024, during their hybrid Continuing Medical Education (CME) program, ‘Amrita Annual Review: Palliative Medicine Practice Updates’.
The new service was inaugurated by Shri Arif Mohammed Khan (Honourable Governor, Kerala) in the midst of other eminent dignitaries.
The service aims to improve the quality of life of both cancer and non-cancer chronic patients and their caregivers by offering them continued professional support even while they are physically not present at the hospital. Those patients and their caregivers who are under the department’s care either via the Out-patient, In-patient, and follow-up services will be invited to join the dedicated whatsapp group to ensure that they receive real time, seamless, and relevant communication, which will be managed by a holistic team of doctors, nurses and social workers.
When we reached out to the team, they shared, “We decided to use Whatsapp as our technology platform, as it is easy to operate and is accessible to all. The idea is to offer both professional and peer support to our patients and their caregivers and help them gain a better understanding of their illness and symptoms and offer support in managing their medications. Since the group is a closed group with everyone sharing similar experiences, confidentiality of discussions within the group is automatically maintained.”
Congratulations Team Palliative Medicine, AIMS, Kochi! We wish you the best!
IPM and Marie Curie Palliative Center ink an MoU on 20th November, 2024, to collaborate on global training and research initiatives
We are excited to share that the Institute of Palliative Medicine (IPM) and Marie Curie Palliative Center signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday, 20th November, 2024, at Vythiri, Wayanad, Kerala, to collaborate for global training and research initiatives.
The MoU was signed by Dr Suresh Kumar (Director, IPM, WHO Collaborating Center for Building Country Capacity in Palliative Care and Long-term Care, Kozhikode, Kerala) and Dr Libby Sallnow (Head of Department, Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London, United Kingdom).
The MoU will be valid for a period of five years from the date of signing and signifies the formal partnership between both institutions to collaborate on various training and research initiatives in the domain of palliative care at a global scale.
On the occasion, Dr Suresh Kumar shared, “Both institutions have been working relentlessly towards the development of palliative care within our regions. A collaboration to formalise our activities only shows our commitment towards the cause. We are delighted to be associated with another organisation who shares a similar vision and are certain that this collaboration will now allow us to share resources and further advance the scale and scope of our projects”.
Congratulations Team IPM and Team Marie Curie Palliative Center! We wish you both a fruitful partnership.