KOCHI:Sumitra (name changed), a cancer patient, took in the final breaths surrounded by her daughter and five nursing care staff. The staff stood apart, careful not to create discomfort for either the patient or the grieving daughter.
As the shrill cries of the daughter soon rocked the halls of Peace Mission Centre, the staff remained present, with a comforting hand on her shoulder. The doctor too, well aware that the last moment for the lady was near. There was nothing more to be done. Yet they stood solemn, content of having been able to give Sumitra a peaceful farewell.
A one-kilometre detour from the highway in Thuruthissery near Mekkad in Nedumbassery, takes you to Peace Mission Centre, an institution which provides free palliative care.Seemingly unbelievable, but true. Even during these times when everything is done with only profits in mind. The centre has the capacity to hold 40 patients and even provides home care.
Any patient admitted to the centre will have access to the best possible care with a visiting doctor and over 16 nurses employed here. Besides sufficient hospital care staff to keep the place clean, there is also a full-time ambulance facility to take the patient to a hospital or anywhere they wish to go for treatment.
‘In cancer’s grip, people want to be free of pain’
Rema (name changed) is the bystander with her mother-in-law, an inmate there. Her husband being a carpenter, the had tried hard to give her the best possible help with their meagre income. However, her health deteriorated to such levels that she was unable to have even liquid food. “We simply couldn’t bear her pain,” Rema said. “Now, she is getting the best care. She is consuming some fluid too. They clean her and keep her in the best possible condition.”
The medical practitioner working with the centre, Dr N Mohanan said: “People come here for end-of-life care. We don’t have treatment here, only care. We provide some medicines and all basic medical facilities. Everyone wants painless moments once they start crumpling in the grip of cancer. We take in those who have no hope for life or future, but the immediate day.”
The centre was started specifically to aid those with financial constraints, said Chinnan Pynadan, closely associated with the mission. “We also wanted to ensure that we help people keep their dignity in death. A lot of people reach here when they are in the last few days of their life. Many have breathed their last here and we are happy to provide them with a very peaceful atmosphere and maximum care,” he said.
Vengola-based Guardian Angel Care Charitable Society, led by Abraham Mor Severios Metropolitan, had launched the centre last January. Father Sabu Palackal, who manages the centre, said their only funding comes by way of donations. “Thankfully, we haven’t had to struggle to find it so far and firmly believe this will continue to be the case in the future,” he said.