‘Better late than never’: Integration of palliative care into the Armed Forces – Lt. Alice Stella Verginia, Calicut I wish all the Army personnel a very happy ARMY DAY!! Having been a part of the Indian Army, I felt really happy to learn that a palliative care centre was opened at the Base Hospital, Delhi…
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It’s all in the family – Dr. Santosh K. Chaturvedi, UK The role of family is very important in the causation, course, maintenance, as well as in the overall management of any medical or health condition. Family is a natural social defence. Numerous family traditions become inherent cultural defences. Thus, family and family’s activities have…
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Rights, Relief and the Road ahead – Ms. Smriti Rana, Trivandrum December 10th was celebrated as World Human Rights Day. The word “celebrate” does not roll easily off the tongue, or on to this page. Celebration indicates happiness at achieving a goal, a milestone. Perhaps in the context of palliative care, it is better viewed…
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Palliative Care and the fundamental right to die with dignity – Mr. Rishabh Shrivastava and Dr. Anant Bhan, Bhopal The Indian Constitution guarantees the right to life under Article 21. Over a period of time, the jurisprudence around Article 21 has undergone significant transformation. One of the crucial facets of the right to life is…
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Volunteering: Evolving by touching lives – Dr. K. V. Ganpathy, Mumbai Context: Mr Ananth (name changed), the sole breadwinner in his family, was a Mathematics teacher by profession. He was referred to the Department of Palliative Medicine with relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). He was well aware of his prognosis and was accompanied by his…
Read MoreOnce a Volunteer, always a volunteer! – Mr. Akhil Valsarajan and Ms. Padmaja P. Gopi, Thrissur “Listen with ears of tolerance,see through the eyes of compassion,speak with the language of love.”– Rumi. This message from Rumi resonates with every volunteer at the Pain and Palliative Care Society (PPCS), Thrissur. Through this article, we, Akhil and…
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Leveling up the Emotional Quotient: It’s scope in the Technocratic Oncosurgical suite – Dr. Mayank Gupta and Dr. Nimish Singh, Bathinda The unsettling squeeze of hand and a frantic appeal to “save” her, by a lady about to undergo a hemi-mandibulectomy set an undertone of empathy and sadness in our minds. Her apprehension about who…
Read MoreThe Need and Role of Palliative Care for Diabetic Patients – Dr. Anuja Damani (Manipal), Dr. Arun Ghoshal (Toronto) Diabetes is one of the commonest non communicable diseases in India. According to a global survey published in 2019, India ranks 2nd among the countries with highest number of diabetic adults. 77 million people were living…
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Gender’s role in disabling help seeking behaviours – Ms. Keshav Sharma, New Delhi Polarities are abundant in nature: Day & Night, Highs & Lows, Light & Shadow, and so on. They co-exist and beautifully complement each other in what is seen as a grand display of a virtuous balance. One such polarity is that of…
Read MorePages from the Diary of a Palliative Care Counsellor – Ms. Vandana Mahajan, Mumbai Context: I am a Palliative care counselor and have been counseling cancer patients for over 7 years now. I am associated with a cancer NGO, Cope with cancer-Madat Trust, and currently work at the Thoracic Disease Management Group (DMG) of Tata…
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