Plan to expand palliative care as a domiciliary care scheme across State: CM

Pinarayi seeks cooperation of NGOs providing palliative care services in enhancing the number of home care units providing such services in the State

The government aims to provide palliative care services to all, including those elderly and differently abled people who may not have serious diseases, yet require regular care.

The idea is to expand palliative care as a domiciliary care scheme across the State so that everyone who requires home care are provided services without a rural/urban or APL/BPL divide, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Tuesday.

He was addressing a meeting of palliative care agencies in the State with regard to the government’s plan to integrate all palliative care services in the State on a single platform.

He also sought the cooperation of NGOs providing palliative care services in enhancing the number of home care units providing palliative care services in the State so that better care can be provided to those who need it.

1,142 primary units

At present, there are 1,142 primary palliative home care units in the government sector, with trained community palliative care nurses (appointed by respective local self-government [LSG] bodies) providing care to 1,14,439 patients.

The government is seeking to increase the number of home care units providing palliative care services so that as envisaged in the State’s action plan, there can be one home care unit for every 20,000 population, he said.

The comprehensive palliative care provision action plan of the State will be launched through a campaign, which begins on January 1, 2025.

The government intends to set up a palliative care grid of all agencies providing services, which will be linked to the telemedicine facility. The Vayomithram scheme of the State, which provides elderly care services, will also be linked to the domiciliary care scheme

Registration

The authorities are also moving to provide registration for palliative home care units as per the guidelines, under the respective LSG bodies. The latter have been asked to set up a registry of home care units and agencies providing palliative care services within its jurisdiction

The 500-odd NGOs involved in providing home-based palliative care services will also be provided registration. The criteria for giving registration to such agencies have been drawn up through discussions with palliative care units.

The LSGs will have to ensure that all agencies providing palliative care services have a registration so that there is accountability and also to ensure the health and safety of those receiving care.

Agencies providing medical or nursing care should also be registered under the Health department. All registered agencies will be coordinated by respective LSGs, with the help of Health and related departments.

The LSGs have also been asked to find volunteers willing to be part of the palliative care movement and to provide adequate training to them in providing home care services. The Health department will provide trainers as well as the training module for the same.

The government is also trying to extend palliative care services to the care homes for the elderly in the private and public sector and care homes where the destitute are sheltered.

At the district‌ and block-level, the palliative care activities of LSG, Social Justice, Health, and other departments will be coordinated under committees headed by respective ward members. The committees will hold review meetings every month

Biomedical wastes

Steps are also being taken to provide training to people to collect wastes from homes where there are patients requiring daily medical care, so that biomedical, pharmaceutical, and chemical wastes are segregated and properly handled.

Directives have been issued to keep colour-coded collection bins for biomedical, pharmaceutical, chemical wastes in homes where palliative care services are provided as these are hazardous waste materials. Facilities will be arranged so that these wastes are collected and reached to appropriate garbage processing centres.

Ministers M.B. Rajesh, Veena George, R. Bindu, and Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan were also part of the meeting.

Published - December 17, 2024 09:18 pm IST