KGMU to start palliative care at home for terminally ill patients

Prof Sarita Singh, the senior faculty member of the Department of Anaesthesia, said, "We are working to form teams from among paramedical and nursing students/staff which can visit houses of terminally ill patients and explain to the family about taking care and dealing with emergency situations, including the time of death."

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"Breaking bad news has a way so that it is accepted by patients. A medical staff member needs to understand the manner in which such news is to be broken so that the patient does not go into depression but accepts it gradually," said another faculty member.

Prof GP Singh, head of department, anaesthesia, said, "Once formed, the teams will remain in touch with family members of a terminally ill patient. They shall visit and guide the family over the telephone in an emergency."

It is palliative care that gives quality to life at the end stage. There are life-limiting diseases that patients suffer from, and many times, they are sent home by hospitals. In such a situation, proper care gives life quality," said Prof Sarita Singh.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Project on Pain and Palliative Care had been launched at the Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar with a focus on capacity building to reduce the suffering of patients with chronic debilitating conditions. The project was launched in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi with nine other premier medical institutions in north India.

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