BANGALORE:The Kurian Foundation, Massachusetts, USA and Bangalore Baptist Hospital have joined hands to extend palliative care services to villages of Devanahalli Taluk, Bangalore Rural District.
At a function in Devanahalli, hospital sources said hospitals usually discharge patients who are afflicted with terminal illnesses such as cancer. As most families are unaware, inexperienced and ill-equipped in caring for a person with terminal illness at home, serving these struggling families eases their pain and provides the support they need to facilitate a “dignified pain-free death”, members of the foundation said.
Two palliative care teams, comprising a trained doctor, nurses and a counsellor, visit patients at home within a radius of 25 km from the hospital (BBH) covering the city, and villages limits of Bangalore Rural District, even up to 60-100 km per day at times. Continuous support is provided via a 24-hour helpline.