Pal Care Foundation

Pal Care Foundation is a registered charitable organization under the Indian Trust Act 1880, formed in 2020 with a pan-India agenda, being committed t Read moreo providing pain relief and palliative care, and to providing education on palliative care. It envisions “an India where comprehensive healthcare is accessible to all even at the periphery so that no one has to suffer in pain”. Its mission is the “development of effective pain relief and quality palliative care services and their integration in health care across India through the delivery of services, education, building capacities, policy, research, advocacy, and information”. The task is huge because In India, less than 1% of the needy have access to palliative care. It is estimated that the total number of people who need palliative care in India is likely to be 6 million people a year. We at Pal Care Foundation strive to make basic healthcare accessible to all thereby aiming to improve the Quality of Life of the people. Our Major Activities in the last three years of establishment 1. Initiated Pal Care Clinic in Delhi – Through Pal Care Clinic, we were able to help over 200 patients with their medical needs directly. 2. In-Patient Facility – Through Collaboration with Ansari Hospital, we were able to help patients get their conditions managed and surgical procedures done at an affordable cost. The services have been free for those living below the poverty line. 3. Home Care and Tele Consultation – During the time of COVID-19 when a majority of the hospitals were converted into COVID-designated facilities, we ensured that the non-covid patients were not deprived of medical services. Therefore, Pal Care Foundation initiated first of its kind telehealth palliative Care Helpline with the support of our teams of specialized doctors and home care support through our collaborative partner medirise. 4. Capacity Building - Since we were facing the unprecedented crisis, we decided to train healthcare professionals in the field of Palliative Care to ensure the integration of covid management through the palliative care approach. 5. Humanitarian Aid - As we understand our role of supporting people in need, we along with our supports (individuals as well as organizations) raised funds to donate smartphones to the students of Kashmir and Karnataka, food kits to the urban slum population of Delhi and the Trans community of Chennai, eight oxygen concentrators to the people of Jammu during the Covid-19 pandemic. 6. Project Aashna - As we moved out of the pandemic, we realized the importance of developing a community workforce that could deliver palliative care services within the community. Therefore, we initiated our Project Aashna in December 2022 where we trained five Cancer Survivors/Caregivers in Palliative Care belonging to low socio-economic status from Kashmir, Delhi, and Lakshadweep and also provided them with an honorarium to support their livelihood. So far, we have been able to reach out to around 85 cancer patients either through in-person or telephonic contact. These cancer patients are screened for mental health and pain in addition to the peer as well as family support being provided by our trained cancer care champions. 7. Adoption of Cancer patients and their families - As part of our pilot project, we adopted two families of cancer patients in Kashmir who were undergoing treatment for cancer in order to reduce the financial and social burden. The support included the sponsorship of investigations, some essential drugs, nutritional support to patients as well as families, and the daily cost of stay-at-home shelters for those who came for treatment from remote areas to Srinagar for 5-6 months. 8. Development of Pal Care App - We are now in the early phase of developing an application for palliative care. Through this app, we aim to bridge the gap between the palliative care providers and the patients/care givers as well as to make palliative care accessible and affordable to those in need whenever, and wherever they are.