For the first time in the country, the Telangana state government has mooted a plan of setting up end stage cancer care units (palliative care) across all the district hospitals in the state.

As part of this, already the state government has launched a 5-bedded palliative care centre at Chevella government hospital in Ranga Reddy district and very recently another 87 bedded unit was inaugurated in the Mahabubnagar district hospital. Both these Palliative care units are launched on a pilot basis and based on their successful management and functioning, the government is mooting to set up one palliative care unit in each district by end of 2019.

According to Telangana health minister, Dr. C. Laxma Reddy, the main objective of launching these specialised healthcare units is to provide treatment to the final stage cancer and other patients suffering with chronic illness and who are almost on the verge of death. “Patients suffering with end stage diseases like cancer and other chronic illness face immense pain and agony. For them the government has decided to extend healthcare with a human touch,” said the Health Minister.

Palliative care is a multidisciplinary approach to specialized medical and nursing care for people with life-limiting illnesses. It focuses on providing relief from the symptoms, pain, physical stress, and mental stress of a terminal diagnosis. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the person and their family.

At present, there are 6 lakh patients suffering from different kinds of cancer disease, of them one lakh are suffering with end stage cancer and are undergoing radiation therapy. Of them 20,000 people need Palliative care, informed the Health Minister.

Usually, patients suffering from long term end stage cancer do not receive as much care as they need by their family. Majority families consider it as a burden to serve such patients particularly the old age and may sometimes face neglect. Keeping all these things in mind, the Telangana government for the first time in India has thought on humanitarian grounds and has decided to establish palliative care centres at all the 31 district government hospitals.

Initially the government has decided to launch 7 Palliative care units and accordingly pooling Rs.2 crore for the maintenance and functioning of these units at government hospitals.

For providing the Palliative care, the government has provided a set of physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other health professionals who work together with the primary care physician and referred specialists and other hospital or hospice staff to provide additional support.

“At the newly launched Palliative care units, we are not only providing outpatient and inpatient treatment and care to the ill, but are also planning to set up a team of healthcare experts who will also visit the homes of the patients and provide them treatment. Emergency services are also provided at the palliative care centres”, informed the Minister.