Pallium India Newsletter: July 2014
- From: Pallium India Newsletter <info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "" <palliumindia@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 23:42:18 +0000
Pallium India
Care Beyond Cure
A MILESTONE ON A LONG ROAD
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2014/07/A-MILESTONE-ON-A-LONG-ROAD/]
The Department of Revenue of Government of India got together drug
controllers from most Indian states at the beautiful India Habitat Centre in
Delhi for a day of concentrated work, along with palliative care activists and
representatives of the Pharmaceutical Industry on 28 July 2014.
THE PURPOSE: _CREATION OF THE NDPS RULES TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN STATES FOR
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NDPS AMENDMENT. _
Pallium India’s chairman and vice-chairman were there, along with Ms
Tripti Tandon of Lawyers’ Collective, the president of IAPC, the editor of
Indian Journal of Palliative Care and President of Cansupport.
Every line of the draft rules that Sri Rajesh Nandan Srivastava (the
Director of Narcotics) had drawn up was discussed in detail and plans were
made!
We are privileged to have been part of the drafting and all the
process.
THE REAL WORK BEGINS NOW!
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PALLIUM INDIA LAUNCHES “PALLIATIVE CARE INFORMATION CENTRE”
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2014/07/PALLIUM-INDIA-LAUNCHES-PALLIATIVE-CARE-INFORMATION-CENTRE/]
Pallium India is launching a “Palliative Care Information Centre” with
effect from the 1st of August 2014. The primary objective of the information
centre is to provide all possible information related to palliative care and
about establishments where such facilities are available in India.
While all general information and material will be made available
through our website www.palliumindia.org [http://www.palliumndia.org/] ,
specific information can be sought over the telephone or through email.
A manned information desk will be functioning on all days except
Sundays and National holidays, from 9 am to 12 noon and can be accessed over
phone (+91 9746745497 [tel:%28%2B91%209746745497] ) or email (
info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] ). An experienced person
with medical background, trained in palliative care, will be available during
this time to provide the information related to palliative care for patients,
families and medical professionals.
We request all of you to utilize this facility and to spread word about
this facility to all those connected to you, who you feel would benefit or
might be interested in utilizing this service.
Website: www.palliumindia.org
[http://www.palliumindia.org/] E-mail: info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] Telephone: +91 9746745497
[tel:%2B91%209746745497]
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PALLIUM INDIA OFFICE AND TRAINING CENTRE SHIFTED FROM PATTOM TO ARUMANA
HOSPITAL
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2014/07/PALLIUM-INDIA-OFFICE-AND-TRAINING-CENTRE-SHIFTED-FROM-PATTOM-TO-ARUMANA-HOSPITAL/]
Pallium India’s Pain and Palliative Care office and Training Centre
have been moved to ARUMANA HOSPITAL at Vallakadavu, from Pattom. This change
has been effective from July 4, 2014.
With this, the inpatient clinic, administrative office and training
centre have been brought under one roof. Pallium India’s inpatient clinic has
been functioning from Arumana Hospital since January 2014.
The new address of Pallium India is: "
PALLIUM INDIA,
ARUMANA HOSPITAL,
AIRPORT ROAD, SUBASH NAGAR,
Vallakadavu P.O., Thiruvananthapuram
695 008, KERALA.
PHONE: +91 471 2451366, +91 9387296889"
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DEATH IN KANHANGAD – PROGRESS IN OUR PETITION TO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2014/07/DEATH-IN-KANHANGAD-PROGRESS-IN-OUR-PETITION-TO-HUMAN-RIGHTS-COMMISSION/]
We are glad to report progress in our petition
[http://palliumindia.org/2014/06/if-their-death-can-make-a-difference-to-the-living/]
to the Kerala State Human Rights Commission. The Commission has asked the
Government of Kerala to inform the steps taken by the Government to implement
the policy formulated in 2008, and also whether morphine and other medicines
are made available in Medical colleges and district hospitals, whether
qualified doctors and nurses are appointed in these hospitals etc.
The case is to be heard on 29 August 2014.
Here
[http://palliumindia.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/KSHRC-Order-Malayalam.pdf]
is the order from the Kerala Human Rights Commission (in Malayalam); and here
[http://palliumindia.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/KSHRC-order.pdf] is the
translated version.
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A LABOUR OF LOVE, IN MEMORY OF A DEPARTED SON
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2014/07/A-LABOUR-OF-LOVE-IN-MEMORY-OF-A-DEPARTED-SON/]
Mr V Prabhakaran Nair lost his son, a young engineer, to cancer, eight
years ago. In memory of his beloved son, Mr Prabhakaran Nair conducted an
exhibition of his own paintings at Museum Auditorium in Trivandrum, from July
24 to July 28.
All profits from the event were donated to support Pallium India’s
patients. The event was inaugurated by the Health Minister of Kerala, Shri V.
S. Sivakumar on the 24th of July.
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PALLIATIVE CARE IN NATIONAL CANCER GRID
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2014/07/PALLIATIVE-CARE-IN-NATIONAL-CANCER-GRID/]
The National Cancer Grid is a network of major cancer centres in the
country created with the mandate of:
* Creating uniform standards of patient care across the length and
breadth of country, bringing high quality cancer care to the doorsteps of
patients.
* Augmenting human resource capabilities in cancer management in the
country.
* Promoting collaborative research in cancer.
A 2 day summit of National Cancer Grid (NCG) is being held at Tata
Memorial Cancer Hospital, Mumbai on 26, 27 July 2014. Dr Suk Dev Nayak from All
India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar reports from the venue:
“There was a 40 min session on Palliative care just before lunch. I
thought no one would be in a mood to listen to palliative care with an empty
stomach and the aroma of hot lunch drifting in to the hall. Prof Maryann
Muckaden and myself did three presentations in total. Prof. Maryann’s
introduction was perfect. I then shared two power point presentations: the
Pallium India – Human Rights Watch survey on incidence of CANCER PAIN in 4
Regional Cancer Centres, followed by the Palliative Care component and outlay
under NPCDCS of Government of India. To my utter surprise, there was a lively
discussion by many of the Directors. The discussion went on, and ate through
the lunch time for 20 minutes. Prof Badwe had to intervene and curtail the
discussion.
I hope Palliative Care slowly enters the agenda of Chief/Policy makers
at RCCs and other cancer centres. Today there will be summing up and discussion
on the steps forward.”
THANK YOU PROFESSOR SUKDEV NAYAK.
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“IT IS NOT IN OUR CULTURE” – REALLY?
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2014/07/IT-IS-NOT-IN-OUR-CULTURE-REALLY/]
Project Hamrahi (meaning fellow-traveler) is a collaborative project of
Australasia Palliative Link International (APLI) and Pallium India. A
doctor-nurse team from Australia or New Zealand gets linked up with one of the
projects catalysed by Pallium India in various parts of India, and spends a
week with the local team. Most of the doctors and nurses manning palliative
care teams in India have undergone six weeks or less of training with Pallium
India. Hamrahi offers them much needed support with interactions to enable them
to move forward to improve their services.
Please see the newsletter
[http://palliumindia.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/APLI-Newsletter-June-2014.pdf]
(pdf) from APLI to see the marvellous progress in Agartala (Tripura),
Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) and in Lakshadweep. The newsletter also gives the
heart-wrenching experience of Ms Usha Ravi, a palliative care clinician from
Melbourne, Australia, whose mother died in a large hospital in Bangalore. She
writes that the failure to accept the inevitable resulted in continuation of
useless treatment which only added to her mother’s suffering. The medical
system is reluctant to change, saying discussion on death is not in our
culture.
In another article, Wendy Salmon talks about doctors’ refusal to accept
the inevitability of death. She keeps on hearing the words, “it is not in our
culture” and wonders how this can be true.
Echoing Wendy Salmon’s words, let us ask, “Really? Discussion on death
is not in our culture?” On the other hand, we think Indians traditionally have
accepted death as the inevitable consequence of life.
Where death does not figure is in the Indian “Medical” culture. Since
the advent of modern medicine and its progress into the high-tech domain, the
medical system here has steadfastly learnt to see death as the failure of
treatment. Well, it is mostly in the professional’s attitude that death is seen
as the enemy. But it must also be recognized that over the last half century, a
large chunk of the public has also learnt to imbibe this culture of aggressive
treatment to the end of life. Understandably, this causes a lot of suffering.
The “culture” has to change. Most people welcome such discussion and
are grateful for it. Those who are afraid of the word death, whether they are
professionals or laymen, need help. Needless to say, it would be necessary to
prepare a family to receive the news when they are not ready for it.
There is really no justification for infliction of needless suffering,
when someone is dying.
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HAPPY FEET HOME, A HOSPICE FOR CHILDREN IN MUMBAI
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2014/07/HAPPY-FEET-HOME-A-HOSPICE-FOR-CHILDREN-IN-MUMBAI/]
It was a pleasure to talk to some young people who are in the process
of making a great idea work – a home that caters to children with advanced
disease in Mumbai. This program that they hope to conduct in association with
Zion Hospital in Mumbai will provide recreation, art, music, play and dance
therapy, counselling and bereavement support. Later on, they hope to add on
respite care and care at home. In the picture, you see Mansi Shah with her
friend Tripti, Abhishek Tatiya (Mansi and Abhishek are the founders) and Ms
Rebecca Muir of Savitri Waney Trust.
Thank you, Rebecca, for introducing these wonderful young people to
Pallium India.
BEST WISHES, HAPPY FEET HOME.
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INTERNATIONAL DOCTORS FOR HEALTHY DRUG POLICIES SPEAK UP FOR GLOBAL DRUGS
POLICY
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2014/07/INTERNATIONAL-DOCTORS-FOR-HEALTHY-DRUG-POLICIES-SPEAK-UP-FOR-GLOBAL-DRUGS-POLICY/]
True, a lot of suffering is caused by professionals being unaware of
principles of pain management. But when they are indeed aware of pain
management, lack of access to essential medicines stands as a huge stumbling
block.
You are aware of the role that Pallium India’s WHO Collaborating Centre
and many other organizations, especially the Indian Association of Palliative
Care, WHO CC at Madison-Wisconsin, Human Rights Watch etc. have played in
overcoming these barriers. In the article in the Lancet (383:9923, 29 March
2014), please read about the efforts that the organization ‘International
Doctors for Healthy Drug Policies’ is playing in overcoming the problem.
You can also watch a short video
[http://www.idhdp.com/en/resources/news/doctors-demand-change-in-policy/] in
which Dr Khuat Thi from Vietnam, Dr Jim Cleary of WHO CC, Madison and Mr
Diederik Lohman of Human Rights Watch speak about the need for a friendly
policy.
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UPCOMING COURSES ON PALLIATIVE CARE IN TRIVANDRUM AND HYDERABAD
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/COURSES/CCPPM/]
TRIVANDRUM, KERALA
The next six weeks course for doctors and nurses will start on August
4, 2014. For more details on this course, please visit:
http://palliumindia.org/courses/ccppm/ [http://palliumindia.org/courses/ccppm/]
The subsequent course would be in November 2014 – starting on the 3rd
of November.
Contact: info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, (+91)9746746530
HYDERABAD, AP
At our associate centre in MNJ Institute of Oncology in Hyderabad, the
next four weeks course will begin on 3 November and end on 29 November 2014.
For more details on this course, visit:
http://palliumindia.org/courses/hyd_ccppm/
[http://palliumindia.org/courses/hyd_ccppm/]
Contact: Ms. Vineela Rapelli – Program Coordinator,
mnj.palliativecare@xxxxxxxxx, (+91)91772 38901
Details on all these courses (and future courses) are available at
http://palliumindia.org/courses/ [http://palliumindia.org/courses/]
For more information about any of our courses, please write to us:
info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or call us: (+91)471-2451366.
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VOLUNTEERS’ TRAINING PROGRAM IN TRIVANDRUM [HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/COURSES/]
Pallium India’s 2-day Volunteers’ Training Program is scheduled for Aug
21 and 23, 2014. Write to info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or call +91-471-2440306 to
register. If you are unable to attend this training, you could register for one
of the subsequent sessions on September 18 & 20 or October 23 & 25.
For more information on the different courses we offer, please visit:
http://palliumindia.org/courses/ [http://palliumindia.org/courses/]
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PARTING SHOT
What makes a doctor refuse to care for a patient in intolerable pain
saying, “your MRI is normal” and throwing a suspicious look?
Is it his fear of his own incompetence to handle that situation? Let us
leave you with these words from Dame Cecily Saunders. "
‘… IF WE CAN COME TOGETHER, NOT ONLY IN OUR PROFESSIONAL CAPACITY, BUT ALSO IN
OUR COMMON VULNERABLE HUMANITY, THERE MAY BE NO NEED OF WORDS ON OUR PART, ONLY
OF RESPECT AND CONCERNED LISTENING…’
"
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