DMCH starts palliative care services

Ludhiana: Dayanand Medical College & Hospital has started Palliative Care Services which is another patient oriented service added in the hospital. This was inaugurated today by Secretary of DMCH Managing Society Sh. Prem Gupta. In his message, Sh Gupta said that we are committed for extending our services to provide best medical care at affordable prices. We encourage our doctors to learn new technique and procedures to provide better and advance services to our patients.
Principal Dr Sandeep Puri said that this is a specialized medical care required in patients with incurable progressive life threatening disease. It helps in relieving the pain and suffering from other symptoms and may help in reducing the hospital admissions. He said Dr Kunal Jain, Dr Vivek Gupta & Dr M Rupinder Singh along with nursing team have undergone structured training in palliative care from AIIMS New Delhi and besides treating the patients and training other doctors and nurses, they will also be involved in creating public awareness, so more patients can be benefited.

Dr GS Wander Chief Cardiologist & Coordinator Hero DMC Heart Institute said advancement in technology and medical care have given longevity of life however the disease patterns are changing. People are more likely to have longer life with multi-morbidities and life limiting condition, which necessitate the provision of palliative care services. However this service is still available in limited centers in our country.

Dr Ashwani Chaudhary, Medical Superintendent DMC&H said it is the need of hour however there are several misconception regarding the palliative care services. We are not just focusing on treatment of disease but we are keen to improve the quality of life in a patient with progressive disease, he added.

Dr Sandeep Sharma Medical superintendent said we are starting Palliative Care OPD Services three days a week, however it will be extended for all working days shortly. He also said that this service will also be provided to indoor patients as well as through Home Care Services.

Dr Bishav Mohan Medical Superintendent HDHI said even the COVID 19 patients especially with moderate to severe disease in their recovery phase may be benefited with palliative care.
 
Dr Sushma Bhatnagar Professor AIIMS New Delhi, one of the founder and leading palliative care physician in India congratulated to management, administration and the team for initiation of the Palliative care services and emphasized the need of palliative care training in undergraduate and postgraduate medical training.

Dr Kunal Jain Consultant Oncologist at DMC&H said that palliative care is an integral part of caring a patient with cancer however adding this service in our organization will help us to meet the requirement and expectations of our patients comprehensively. The treatment of patient will be continued along with the involvement of palliative care team, he added.

Dr Vivek Gupta Consultant Intensivist at HDHI added the palliative care service will also be provided to patients with debilitating progressive neurological disorders, advanced cardiovascular diseases, advanced respiratory diseases, chronic kidney diseases, HIV/AIDS patients or even in any other patient who is having irrecoverable disease. However therapy can tailored according to the disease and its progression along with patient need.

Dr M Rupinder Singh Professor Anaesthesia at DMC&H said specialist from various field will be working together to provide comprehensive care to the patients. This not only improves physical symptoms but also address the psychosocial and spiritual aspects. This helps in improving the quality of life in a patient with life limiting condition.