Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Educational assistance distributed to children of cancer patients

Staff Reporter

95 children from economically backward families benefit

Thiruvananthapuram: Cancer can devastate not just the individual who has been affected but the family as well. Often, the bereaved families are left to grapple with their emotional as well as financial distress.

Care Plus, a non-governmental organisation working in the area of palliative care in cooperation with the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), has, this year, extended educational assistance to 95 children from economically backward families, who have lost their parents to cancer.

The programme, Snehasparsam, which is into the third year, focusses on providing educational support and rehabilitating such children. The children were given notebooks, stationery, uniform, footwear, umbrella and bags.

Special prizes

Special prizes were given to 15 children who topped their schools and colleges.

Several dying cancer patients and their families are being taken care of under the palliative care programme. Palliative care is based on the ethos of care and not cure.

It is the concept of `taking care of total pain' and concentrates on alleviating the physical pain of the terminally ill as well as the emotional distress of the families and offering them psycho-social and emotional support all through the illness and bereavement.

A team, including doctors, nurses, social workers, volunteers and cancer survivors, has been working together at the RCC to address the needs of patients and their families and to create a support system for them.

They visit the terminally ill poor patients, registered with the RCC's palliative care clinic, at their houses and give free medicines and home care.

The team takes care of cleaning and dressing of cancerous ulcers, catheterisation and administering IV fluid.

The volunteers even visit patients in the suburbs once a week. Poor families are often provided provisions also.

One of the main objectives of the palliative care team at the RCC has been to ensure that the children of cancer patients from poor families are able to continue their education.

Care Plus has been canvassing members of the public as well as corporates to support the venture by sponsoring children.

At Snehasparsam 2006, the chairman of the Standing Committee on health of the Nedumangad municipality handed over Rs.1 lakh to the organisers for providing medicines to patients attending the palliative care clinic at Melancode.

A counselling programme and medical camp was also arranged on the occasion.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

New Cabinet marks generational change in the Left Democratic Front
Elaborate arrangements for swearing-in of Cabinet
Educational assistance distributed to children of cancer patients
City to get 12 bus shelters
Paloli says Ministry is of right size
Two years without that sparkle
Shanavas refutes charges
YC charge against Vellappally
Kuchipudi workshop from May 20
PDP to intensify efforts for Maudany's release
Woman, child injured
Around the City
In Thiruvananthapuram Today

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu