THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The palliative medicine sector is set to get a fillip in the state with the government deciding to introduce more specialisation courses in palliative care. As per the new palliative care policy announced last week, an MD palliative medicine programme, MSc palliative nursing programme, and others are on the anvil for bolstering palliative care in the state. The time-limit set for its implementation is five years.
“A minimum of two government medical colleges will have an MD palliative medicine programme under the Department of Palliative Medicine. Also, a minimum of two nursing colleges will have an MSc palliative nursing programme,” reads an excerpt from the policy. It also states that while a minimum of two medical colleges in the state would have a residential fellowship in palliative medicine programme, a minimum of two nursing colleges will have a PG Diploma course in palliative care nursing.
According to the Health Department, the commencement of specialization courses will help to create a pool of palliative care experts in the state. Meanwhile, Pallium India, a charitable trust focussed on palliative care, chairman Dr M R Rajagopal said that the major highlight of the policy was its decision to link the curriculum and training with all primary and secondary care programmes in the state.
“The current scenario is that the newly passed out MBBS and nursing graduates lack even the fundamentals of palliative care. They also have the misconception that it is meant for those who are terminally ill. A change to this approach is needed. Palliative care should become part of the treatment plan from the time of diagnosis itself,” said Rajagopal.
According to him, another notable feature of the policy is its recommendation to start an institution of excellence in palliative medicine. “An institution of this kind will help frame the education programme as per the state’s needs. It will help in the appropriate revision of the syllabus and overall conduct of the course. Also, it will facilitate need-based research paving way for quality education and quality assurance,” added Rajagopal.
The policy also proposes a training centre to be developed in each district for training doctors, nurses and other health workers in palliative medicine and nursing. Another recommendation is to develop a palliative care module for medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy courses. The policy also stipulates that 150 doctors and 150 nurses in the government sector should successfully complete the foundation course in palliative care. In the case of private sector, it is 50 doctors and 50 nurses.