FULL-FLEDGED PALLIATIVE CARE CENTRES AND HOME CARE NEED TO INCREASE

Palliative care remains the only and indeed the most appropriate form of treatment for the patients presenting at incurable stages. Pain and palliative care units touch the lives of those who are in need of care and attention. In Kerala, the tremendous developments made in palliative care in the State have made the endof-life phase of the terminally ill more bearable. Around 80% of all palliative care services in the country are delivered in Kerala, reaching nearly 30% of the needy patients, whereas these services reach only to around 2% in India. Kerala’s attempts at caring for terminally ill patients have been regarded as a model for the rest of the world.

- Dr Arun Oommen

Palliative care is a holistic care which fulfils the requirements of chronically ill or terminally ill patients. It has become an emerging need of the day as the existing healthcare facilities play only a limited role in the care of the chronically ill people in the society. Patients with terminal illness in most cases spend their lives in the community among their family and neighbours, so there is the need for a multi disciplinary team for their constant care. General practitioners working with palliative care teams stated that home care was the preferred option for most people with a terminal illness, and providing home care relies on good community-based services, a general practice workforce competent in palliative care practice, and willing to accommodate patients.

Palliative care volunteers are primary care givers who originate normally from the same locality with local knowledge and good public contact through which they can make significant contributions in a team work by bridging the gap between the patient community and outside world.

Palliative care is a prerequisite for a complete medical care. The existing healthcare facilities are more attuned to caring for acute health problems and they play only a limited role in the care of the chronically ill in the society. At least in India, the present medical and hospice systems do not have the capacity to guarantee quality of life for the majority of people with life-limiting illnesses. Patients with terminal illness need a multidisciplinary team and constant care leading to a mounting need for palliative care.