Kerala   

Reaching out to the terminally ill

Prof. Kellehear.

Prof. Kellehear is the author of A Social History of Death; Compassionate Cities: Public Health and End -of-Life Care and Dying of Cancer- the Final Year of Life.

Prof. Kellehear was instrumental in introducing in Australia, his home country, palliative care, the medical care that mitigates pain and other difficulties associated with diseases such as cancer. The Australian government started palliative care facilities based on his writings in Compassionate Cities.

Prof. Kellehear, who was in Kozhikode recently to take a close look at the functioning of the Neighbourhood Network in Palliative Care (NNPC) in Malappuram district, told The Hindu that he was highly impressed by the success of NNPC, a project that provides palliative care with the support of the community to chronically ill patients.

As one who has studied history of death and 'near death experiences,' Prof. Kellehear believes the importance of palliative care cannot be exaggerated. 'Palliative care provides patients afflicted with terminal illnesses the right to die with dignity.'

He finds admirable that the NNPC in Malappuram generates funds on its own to provide free medical care. In Australia, about 90 per cent of funds needed for palliative care is provided by the government and the care is restricted to cancer patients who would not live for more than six months.

The Malappuram experiment is quite different. Here, the benefits of the neighbourhood network in palliative care are not restricted to cancer patients; patients with other crippling diseases, including paralytic stroke, are also looked after. "This is a great achievement, a model for the rest of the world,' he says.

"Death that is well managed by professionals like doctors, lawyers and priests is available only to a lucky few in modern society,' he says. But a good number of people in prosperous countries are able to die in the comforts of well-equipped nursing homes surrounded by friends, relatives and doctors.

But in African countries seriously sick AIDS patients are looked upon as devils and abandoned by society because of the fear of their health condition.

"People have to be educated about death... how to cope with grief... how to support the bereaved family members' all animals, not human beings alone know that they would have to die one day' even a fish, cricket or tadpole is aware of death' this is what I have learnt of death,' he says

He points that while palliative care provides support to the dying and social support to bereaved families, it is available at present only to a small percentage of those who need it. "Which is why neighbourhood networks of the type established in Malappuram are so important,' says Prof. Kellehear.

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

Stories in this Section

Law soon to regulate micro credit agencies: Chidambaram
In anticipation
Reaching out to the terminally ill
Janasree not to hit Kudumbasree: Chandy
VS told to come clean on HMT deal
All smiles
Mass run
Top honour
Basheer had prophetic stature: Azhikode
The master storyteller gets a fitting abode
Development initiatives
Thunchan fete gets under way
Sundaymart: Pages CL1 & CL8
Interesting ware

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu