Cipla launches counselling helpline in Pune

Hoping to raise awareness on palliative care and ensure more people avail of the free services available, the Cipla Cancer Palliative Care Centre (CCPCC) in Warje launched a 24-hour helpline to offer counselling over the phone.

Lamenting the lack of awareness that leads to less than optimum occupancy rate, SV Iyer, managing trustee, Cipla Palliative Care and Training Centre (CPCTC) said the helpline would probably bridge the gap between demand and supply. “The centre has provided palliative care to more 7,400 patients since its inception but the 50-bed facility was never full due to lack of awareness on palliative care. With the launch of the helpline, the centre would be able to provide information and facilitate them with required support for getting admitted at the centre,’’ he said.

In fact, the Cipla centre not only provides palliative care to patients but also ensures their continued care even if they choose to go home by providing boarding and food to one relative who is trained by staffers in providing care.

Of the five palliative care centres in Maharashtra, Pune has two where lodging, boarding and pain management is free for patients. Sadly, statistics show only 0.4% of estimated 2.5 million cancer patients in the country have access to palliative care treatment and Pune is no exception.

Director of Care India Medical Society that runs Vishranti, a 15-bed cancer pain management centre in Bhavani Peth, Col (retd) NS Nyayapathi said that low awareness is basic reason for people not coming forward in larger numbers. “We provide lodging, food, nursing care, pain management techniques including necessary medication, entertainment and many other things to improve the quality of life of such patients. All this is free managed through donations by generous donors and yet the beds are not all occupied because yet there is low awareness,’’ he said.

CEO, Care India, Asha Vaswani said about 11-12 beds are occupied on an average and the centre is not meant only for dying but to make living easier for cancer patients. While the centres are taking many steps to raise awareness about palliative care, a silver lining is the recognition of palliative medicine as a speciality by the Medical Council of India (MCI).

“Now palliative medicine will become a part of curriculum in medical schools and graduates can opt for specialising in it. With this new development, we hope to see more experts and awareness about this specialised yet undervalued stream of medicine,’’ said Dr Priyadarshini Kulkarni, medical director, CPCTC.