Meera Suresh By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shaji (name changed), a paraplegic, was confined to his bed, lamenting his fate and waiting for life to end, when palliative care volunteers came calling. Fast forward a few years, Shaji today drives an autorickshaw, selling his homemade detergent and is happily married. Despite being disabled, he has found a new meaning to life, thanks to timely care. Over the years, Kerala has made huge leaps in palliative care–over 60 per cent of the invalid population now has access to proper medical treatment while the number is just 2 per cent in the national level. The success of the state’s unique home-based care system has made significant strides. This concept envisages empowering the community by providing care to the bedridden or ailing patient. “One of the most common misconceptions associated with palliative care in our country is that it is often associated with care given to a dying patient, a taboo subject. But, experts think of it as more. For them, palliative care is about adding life to a patient’s days, rather than days to his life,” says Dr Athul Manuel, medical officer, Department of Palliative Care, General Hospital. A gamechanger Dr Athul points to the success of the Neighbourhood Network in Palliative Care (NNPC) programme that proved to be the gamechanger. “The programme recruits volunteers from the neighbourhood the patient lives in, which makes the community responsible for the latter’s well-being. Most times, the volunteers act as a link between the patient and health care professional,” he says. “For terminally-ill patients, palliative care gives them a lot of dignity in meeting the end. It helps one accept and embrace the concept of death. It is a soothing experience for the relatives too. They will have calm and happy memories of the patient whereas in other cases, the end of a loved one will always be associated with trauma,” says Dr Athul. For many, palliative care is bringing back the light in their lives. “The recent staging of a drama by Chaya, a group of palliative care patients proves how much timely intervention can help them bounce back,” he adds. Things to remember Never generalise care; that is very important while dealing with an ill person. “The treatment should be patient-centric and not disease-centric. Also, one has to focus on the present condition of a patient and not what he or she did in the past. “A lot many tend to think that a patient who battled alcoholism in the past deserves less care because he inflicted it on himself. That’s a wrong approach. Every patient needs proper care, irrespective of his past,” adds Dr Athul.

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