Health Care at Home (HCAH), India’s first hi-tech, documented, quality homecare service provider, launched comprehensive homecare cancer services, including palliative (end-of-life) care, here with a view to bringing peace in the lives of cancer patients and their families.  Currently, the company provides comprehensive homecare cancer service in Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Rajasthan. It plans to begin the services soon in other parts of the country.

The company has specialised ‘Onco Nurses’ who are adept at dealing with cancer patients, especially the ones in the last stage. They provide all types of chemotherapy to cancer patients. The nurses are specialized to serve cancer patients and are skilled at performing adjuvant therapy administration, a procedure that requires expertise to inject a drug that increases the potential of anti-cancer treatment.

The nurses can perform with ease PICC line dressing, Chemo port flush and have expertise in providing Neutropenic care. While PICC line dressing is a dressing that is done to prevent any wounds due to continuous chemotherapy sessions, Chemo port flush is a procedure in which a port is used for chemotherapy to avoid any vein puncture. This port has to be flushed time and again to avoid any blockage in it. Also, in the process of radiation, healthy white blood cells of the body get killed, causing the immunity to become low and leading to neutropenia. The nurses are expert at providing neutropenic care as well.

“Treating cancer patients doesn’t only require medical expertise but also demands an extremely sensitive approach on the part of the treatment providers. Many a time, when a devastated patient is fighting a losing battle against the disease, even a few kind words and care can make a lot of difference,” says Vivek Srivastava, chief executive officer, HCAH.

There are several reasons for which people prefer homecare to hospital care for cancer patients. Just the feeling of being home is comforting and expedites the patients’ recovery, he added.

The personalised care offered through homecare addresses the unique needs of every patient. Longer stay at hospitals lead to huge medical bills, thereby putting enormous pressure on family members. Compared to hospital stay, home care is cost effective as it cuts the indirect expenditures.

“When it comes to our end of life care, our oncology nurses are trained at symptomatic management and pain relief management. The nurses are made to undergo specialised training in palliative care, particularly to provide counseling and support to the patients that help boost their morale. Our End of Life Care service brings immense relief to those cancer patients who are suffering from a immense pain and want to bid adieu to the world peacefully,” says Dr Gaurav Thukral, Head, Medical Services, HCAH.

Homecare cancer services also help the doctors of the patients to constantly monitor their patients. By keeping their doctors concerned always in the loop, the homecare providers ensure constant medical intervention and supervision to the patient without any interruption. Additionally, services provided by them also free up doctors at the hospitals, making them available for other patients.