India faces a growing need for palliative care

On most days, 60 year old Kuttan is a worried man. He has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as a result of long term treatment for tuberculosis, and is confined to his mud home in the hilly terrain of Bharathannur, a rural region in Kerala. He is unable to work. His son has a heart condition and can’t work either, so it’s up to Kuttan’s wife to scrape together family meals with the food rations they receive from the state. He also has a teenage daughter, and worries as the money to support her education is running out.But one morning in late May, Kuttan brightens up. A team of palliative care professionals from the NGO Pallium India has come to visit from the city of Trivandrum, 50 km away. “Home visits are a crucial part of our work to attend to patients who are unable to make the journey to our…
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