KOCHI: In an effort to address the challenges of a growing elderly population and to ensure the well-being of patients with life-limiting illnesses, the Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) and the Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences have rolled out a programme to train the faculty members of government medical colleges in the state in palliative care.
In the initial phase of the programme that began last September, as many as 100 faculty members have been trained in palliative care.
KUHS vice chancellor Dr Mohanan Kunnummel said the initiative aims to train every medical student passing out in the next few years in palliative care.
“The faculty members trained in the first phase will train other doctors and MBBS students. The state has a growing ageing population. Thus, in a few years, we need to have doctors trained in palliative care to treat us in a better way, beyond diagnosis and treatment,” Dr Mohanan said.
In 2016, the KUHS had incorporated the principles of palliative care into the existing undergraduate MBBS curriculum to groom medical students into humane doctors who treat their patients with a person-centred rather than disease-centred approach.
Dr Sunil Kumar, director-in-charge of the Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences, said the faculty members -- from different medical colleges -- completed a foundation course in palliative care.
“Thirty of them were selected for an on-site training at KUHS. A three-day faculty development programme, inclusive of principles of palliative care, was conducted to empower them.
They will be train the others at different medical colleges,” Dr Sunil said, adding that the 30-hour session covers the basics of palliative care. Dr Mohanan stressed on the need to focus on pain relief alongside diagnosis and treatment. There is a proposal to expand the project to government nursing colleges to train nursing tutors and students as well, Dr Sunil added.