State Level Advocacy Workshop Report – 21 Feb 2024

National Program for Palliative Care (NPPC)

Venue: Institute of Cooperative Management (ICM), Dehradun

The State Level Advocacy Workshop under the National Program for Palliative Care (NPPC) was held at the Institute of Cooperative Management (ICM) in Dehradun on February 21st, 2024. The workshop aimed to bring together medical professionals from both government and private sectors, as well as NGOs, to discuss the status of palliative care in Uttarakhand and identify areas for improvement.

Dr. Aditya Singh, AMD-NHM, led the initiative to gather medical officials to address the lack of data on the number of patients in Uttarakhand in need of palliative care. This absence of data makes it challenging for the state government to allocate funds for palliative care effectively, with a focus on line listing.

During the discussions, it was suggested to modify the CBAC form to include a question regarding the need for palliative care. ASHA and CHC workers would assist in collecting this data, which would then be reported to NPPS. Dr. Aditya Singh also highlighted the need for more government medical centers to procure morphine drug licenses to ensure easier access for local populations.

Dr. Sweety Gupta from AIIMS Rishikesh emphasized that palliative care should begin at the time of diagnosis. She suggested that trained palliative care doctors maintain personal journals of patients requiring palliative care.

Ganga Prem Hospice (GPH), renowned for its specialized palliative care since 2005, was praised during the workshop. GPH proposed to provide data collected over the years on palliative care, specifically for cancer patients, to support the expansion of palliative care services for other diseases. GPH also proposed a collaborative approach where trained doctors refer patients to established palliative care centers such as AIIMS, Jolly Grant, Ganga Prem Hospice, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, and Shri Mahant Indresh Hospital.

Dr. Mahendra Singh highlighted the issue of opiophobia, where doctors under prescribe due to concerns about side effects and drug availability. GPH offered to provide morphine free of cost in the Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Dehradun regions after assessing the situation.

The workshop concluded with a consensus on the need for better collaboration among medical professionals and improved data collection methods to enhance palliative care services in Uttarakhand.