Last-minute change in the travel plan saved her escape from air crash of Mumbai-Bengaluru Air India Airbus-320. The reason: On the request of doctor, she wanted to visit a hospital in Mangalore to take stock of the suffering experienced by cancer patients.
During the train journey to Mangalore in 1990, she saw a dream to create awareness on palliative care in India by teaching doctors and paramedical staff and among terminally ill patients by forming Cancer Relief India in 1992 after taking up an awareness programme with Dr. Rajagopal, who is considered as the father of palliative care in India.
Director, Care Response International and founder-director, CRI U.K. Gilly Burn has travelled the length and breadth of India, introducing palliative care, finding pioneers, getting them trained and empowering them for palliative care for over three decades. Ms. Burn visited India in 1989 to submit a report for World Health Organisation based on her assessment and recommendation on palliative care. “I am happy that my visit to the hospital in Mangalore. The suffering of the patients brought change in my life which subsequently led to founding of CRI. The aim is to relieve of pain to a large extend among terminally ill patients,” she told The Hindu .
Interactive session
A nurse by profession, she also interacted with the staff and students in different institutes, as part of incorporating palliative care in the medical curriculum.
During an interactive session with the members of Sneha Sandhya Age Care Foundation, the only organisation providing comprehensive palliative care services to people , Ms. Burn said pain was just the visible part of the iceberg of suffering.
“What is ignored is the part below the surface – feelings of despair, worries about money. We all wish for a pain-free, dignified death. But a few achieve it,” she said.
She has dedicated everything to create massive awareness on palliative care in India, Dr. N.S. Raju, managing trustee and medical director, Sneha Sandhya Age Care Foundation said.
“We recognise that tackling pain and supporting the dying can not be achieved by medical staff alone. Our volunteers provide the link between their communities and the service – they knew who was sick and where to get help. They serve as social workers, council and guide patients with positive attitude instead of fear and pessimism, depression and anxiety,” he said.
‘Novel initiatives’
Praising her novel initiatives of Ms. Burn, G. Sambasiva Rao, chairman, Sneha Sandhya Age Care foundation, said volunteering was sincere involvement of oneself for taking care of patient by listening what he said leading to less suffering and pain.
