Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 8: World Palliative Care and Hospice Day was celebrated today at Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar (Jammu) by organizing an interactive programme.
The theme of this year’s World Palliative Care and Hospice Day was ‘Healing Hearts and Community’. The programme was held under the supervision of DG Family Welfare, MCH & Immunization and Director Health Services Jammu Dr Saleem ur Rehman. The invited dignitaries were Dr Rakesh Garg (Professor, Pain & Palliative Care, AIIMS New Delhi) who joined the programme through virtual platform.
Zorawar Singh Jamwal (patron of Team Jammu), Dr Vinay Kumar (Assistant Dean Social Works Department Central University) were among other dignitaries who enlightened the doctor, paramedics and nursing students about the social and community aspect of the need for Palliative Care services.
Dr Narinder Bhatyal, Medical Superintendent, Government hospital Gandhi Nagar emphasized the need of Palliative care in current scenario with increasing elderly population.
Dr Rohit Lahori, Incharge Pain and Palliative Care, Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar and Nodal Officer Palliative Care J&K, focused on the need of hope and empathy in Palliative care. He informed that in India, only 3% of population of terminally sick patients has access to Pain and Palliative care.
It is pertinent to mention here that Government of Jammu and Kashmir has formulated the policy for Palliative care and has started these services at all the district hospitals of Jammu and Kashmir with ten beds dedicated for these services in each district.
Twenty medical officers and as many nurses have been trained for Palliative care by Directorate of Health Services Jammu in collaboration with Indian Association of Palliative Care under the supervision of Dr Sushma Bhatnagar (HoD Palliative care, AIIMS New Delhi and Chief National Cancer Institute, Jajjar), to provide these services at all district hospitals.
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