Specialized Palliative Care Units - Ministry Update

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Sh Faggan Singh Kulaste in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha , updated the Parliament about the Specialized Palliative Care Units in the country. 

There is no state-wise/national data maintained under National Program for Palliative Care (NPPC)  which suggest the number of specialized palliative care units established in India from 2010-2016 as the support under the Program to the States/UTs is primarily for establishing basic palliative care services at district hospitals.

The Ministry had constituted an expert group on Palliative care which submitted its report ‘Proposal of Strategies for Palliative Care in India’ in November, 2012. On the basis of the Report, National Program for Palliative Care (NPPC) was implemented under National Health Mission (NHM). NPPC is now part of the ‘Mission Flexipool’ of NHM. A model PIP, a framework of operational and financial guidelines, for the states was also drafted on the basis of which the states/UTs prepare their proposals related to Palliative Care and incorporate them in their respective PIPs to seek financial support under NHM. The details of funds provided to the States/UTs from 2013-14 onwards till date under NPPC programme is given below:

As per Medical Council of India’s Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997 and Postgraduate Medical Education, 2000, no study on palliative care is included in the undergraduate and post-graduate curriculum. However, a course named “MD (Palliative Medicine)” is included in the Schedule of Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations, 2000.