Cancer Needs Not Mean Pain

As you read this, eight lakh people in india must be in pain with cancer. Cancer can kill - eight per cent of cancer patients in our country are incurable at the time of diagnosis.The patient at present has no other option but to live out the rest of his life in total misery. You yourself probably know somebody who died of cancer;somebody who died in prolonged agony.

In India, practically no facility exists to help the patient with advanced cancer to live with dignity. The person suffers severe pain very often he is hopelessly lonely and dejected.The stress on the family, with the associated emotional disturbances,financial problems, and social isolation-make every livingmoment in hislifemiserable. Making matters worse is the general lack of awareness among the public and evenamong health workers and docters regarding palliative care.

Pain And Palliative Care Clinic

For the last one and half years, the society has been supporting an outpatient set up in Calicut Medical College for patients with advanced cancer and also for people in chronic pain. The clinic is organised by the Department of Anaesthesiology, with the help of other sister disciplines. Patients attending the clinic get medical treatment for their symptoms. Their emotional and psychological problems are also being attended to in an atmosphere of love and care. Since it is the only centre of its kind, patients from all over Malabar and beyond, attend the clinic could offer relief to over eight hundred patients, eighty percent of them with advanced cancer. Since most of the patients are very poor, medicines are also given free of cost.

Your Contribution Counts

Your donations, however small, can help a fellow human being to live a few months, weeks or days, without pain. Donations to the Pain and Palliative Care Society are exempted from income tax under Sec.80(G). Donations by crossed cheque or demand Draft drawn in favour of "Pain and Palliative Care Society" may be sent to:
The Secretary
Pain and Palliative Care Society
Medical College,Calicut,India 673008
Phone : (0495) 357823

PADMASHREE MAMMOOTTY

Principle Advisors

MISS.GILLY BURN
WHO Collaborating Center
Oxford, U.K

DR.JAN STJERNSWAARD
Chief of Cancer Division
World Health Organisation, Geneva

DR.M.KRISHNAN NAIR
Director,
Regional Cancer Center,Trivandrum

DR.V.G.SUDHAKARAN
Head of the Dept. of Oncology
Medical college, Calicut

DR.L.V.SWARNAM
Pricipal,
Medical college, Calicut

DR.R.G.TWYCROSS
WHO Collaborating Center
Oxford, U.K

Educational Activities  

The Pain and Pallative Care Society conducts educational programmes in the area of Pallitive Care for health care professionals and general public. This includes training sessions, and continuing medical education programmes for doctors, awarness programmes for the media and social organisations and pamphlets, articles and talks for the common man.

Hopes For The Future

Patients from as far away as two hundred and fifty kilometers now attend the clinic. A much better alternative for them wouldbe a pallative care center near home. The society has plans to start satellite clinics in some of the neighbouring districts. Similarly the idea of a mobile pallative care for the bedridden patients atleast in and Calicut.

An informal inpatients center for cancer patients - some sort of a home away from home - is also being planned. This would be a place where the patients with advanced cancer could spend time in the company of other patients and volunteers or stay for a few days for settling when necessary-all in a very informal and caring atmosphere. In future the center will also act as a place where necessary information on cancer, including the treatment options will be available for the patient.

Volunteers Most of the work in the clinic and also other activities of the society are being done by volunteers without any remuneration. There are five volunteers in the pain and pallative care clinic and many rendering their service part time.
Prathysha Is a Cancer Support Group. It is a collective of cancer patients, their families, doctors and social activitists working inthe area of cancer care. Prathyasha meaning HOPE- acts as a forum for sharing experiences, problems and worries and for supporting each other.
Funding The Pain and Pallative Care Society depends entirely on contributions from the community for its activities. The mission to put life into the days of cancer patients is getting overwhelming response from people we come across everyday. But the number of people seeking help go up day by day and so our patients cannot pull on without your help.
Advisory Group DR.M.GOVINDARAJ Physician Medical College, Calicut DR.K.P.GOVINDAN Pulmonologist Calicut SRI.JACOB MATHEW Malayala Manorama Kottayam MRS.KALPANA NAIR Co-ordinator Pratyasha DR.R.KRISHNAN Department of Medicine Medical College, Calicut DR.MADHAVI RAMACHANDRAN Anaetheiologist, National Hospital, Calicut Ms.MALLIKA RAMACHANRAN Social Worker SRI. MADHAVAN NAIR. R. Special Correspondent 'The Hindu', Calicut DR.V.V.MOHANA CHANDRAN Psychiatrist Medical College, Calicut DR.P.RAJAN Department of surgery Medical College, Calicut DR.M.RADHAKRISHNAN Psychologist Calicut VAIDY ABHUSHANAM RAGHAVAN THIRUMULPAD Ayurvedic physician, Tirchur SRI.V.RAJAGOPAL Executive Editor 'Mathrubhumi',Calicut DR.C.K.RAMACHANDRAN Physician Calicut DR.V.RAJASEKHARAN NAIR Dept. of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Medical College, Calicut MRS.REETHA DEVI Asso. Professor College of Nursing, Calicut Prof.K.SATCHIDANANDAN Editor Indian Literature SRI. K.K. SREEDHARAN NAIR Editor 'Mathrubhumi',Calicut Prof. THARAKAN Dept. of Psychology University of Calicut DR.E.K.VARGHESE, Obstetrician & Gynaecologist Calicut SRI.P.VENUGOPAL Asst. Engineer P.W.D.,Calicut SRI.A.P.VINODKUMAR Charted Accountant Calicut
Management Council DR.M.R.RAJAGOPAL Chairman DR.K.SURESH KUMAR Secretary DR.S.ACHUTHAN NAIR Treasurer
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