
Celebrated on the 15th of January every year, Kerala Palliative Care Day is not an annual ritualistic celebration as in many similar celebrations with such nomenclature. Instead, it has greater implications for the lives of thousands of patients and their relatives, as well as the overall health performance of the state, which has distinctively scored the first position in health and healthcare service in the consecutive years from 2020. This day distinguishes itself with diverse initiatives carried out under the pain and palliative care units, NSS units and other different governmental and non-governmental agencies such as NGOs (Non-governmental Organizations), FBOs (Faith-based Organizations) and CSOs (Community Service Organizations). These initiatives involve raising funds to ensure the smooth functioning of the state’s palliative care units, which are the largest in number in the country. Likewise, the palliative care volunteers and NSS volunteers engage in different recreational activities for patients with acute diseases like cancer, kidney failure and cardio-vascular diseases who are at the end of their lives. These include visits in person and in groups to home care and hospice centers and extending emotional, social and economic support for the patients and their family members.
A week-long program commencing from 15th January will be carried out in the name ‘ Safalamee Yathra’ in the general government hospitals under Kanivu palliative care unit, thereby giving company to the lonely bedridden patients. This can have greater impact on their emotional well-being and psychological resilience. ‘Santhwana Sangamam’ is a similar get together of palliative care family with the patients and their relatives where the student volunteers of NSS units across the state take the lead. As part of these programs grocery kits will be distributed for the patients, their bystanders and the residents in the palliative home care centers and hospice centers and the general hospitals.
Under its Three-Tier system of Panchayati Raj, the state government conducts various social awareness programs throughout the state among the different strata of its citizens, including the students, youth and ordinary folks. The activities and programmes intended to create awareness and sustain policy efforts for chronic diseases are essential. Without state support, it remains critical to note NGOs’ cooperation with this concern, and celebrating this day is a prime activity for public health improvements. In the wake of this celebration, it can be asserted that this Kerala model of civil palliative care initiatives supported by the state government is worth emulation across the country.
Mohamed Fazil,Research Scholar, Department of sociology, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad.
E-mail: [email protected]