Recognising pain relief and palliative care as essential components in easing the suffering of patients with chronic incurable diseases, the State government is all set to launch a Palliative Care Policy shortly.
The policy, which is expected to be launched by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah soon, has been formulated keeping in mind the increasing number of cancer patients as well as those with other chronic ailments.
“It is a myth that palliative care is only for terminally ill cancer patients. It is an essential part of easing the suffering of those ailing with other chronic diseases too. The policy will be initially implemented in the six districts of Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Dharwad, and Raichur,” said K.B. Linge Gowda, director of the State-run Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology.
Nearly 1.8 lakh cancer patients are registered for treatment and 60,000 new patients are added every year. Many of them are in an advanced stage and not amenable to curative treatment. Added to this is the burden of other chronic illness such as HIV and renal, heart, neurological or hepatic diseases which also require palliative care, he said.
Under the policy, teams of dedicated doctors and volunteers will ensure such patients have access to complete care — physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. Karnataka will be the third State in the country, after Maharashtra and Kerala, to get a palliative care policy.
The policy will look into training nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and other staff in government hospitals in palliative care and making essential drugs available in every government hospital.
Dr. Gowda, who met Health Minister K.R. Ramesh Kumar and Principal Secretary (Health) Shalini Rajneesh on Monday to chalk out the modalities of the launch, said Kidwai institute would be made the nodal centre to monitor the implementation of the policy.
