{"id":341946,"date":"2025-07-03T21:00:34","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T15:30:34","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-07-03T21:00:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T15:30:34","slug":"palliative-care-must-be-strengthened-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/palliative-care-must-be-strengthened-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Palliative care must be strengthened in India"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source<\/strong>: The post Palliative care must be strengthened in India has been created, based on the article \u201cIntegrating compassion, prioritising palliative care<\/strong>\u201d published in \u201cThe Hindu<\/strong>\u201d on 3rd July 2025<\/p>\n

UPSC Syllabus Topic:<\/strong> GS Paper <\/strong>2 – <\/strong>Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector\/Services relating to\u00a0Health.<\/p>\n

Context<\/strong>: Millions in India endure avoidable suffering due to the lack of palliative care. Despite its ability to provide comfort and dignity during terminal illness, this form of care remains underfunded and underused. The article explores the barriers, current efforts, and urgent need for its integration into India\u2019s health-care system.<\/p>\n

For detailed information on Palliative care<\/strong> read this article here <\/a><\/p>\n

Understanding the Role and Scope of Palliative Care<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Definition and Purpose: <\/strong>Palliative care is specialised support that addresses a patient\u2019s physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Unlike curative treatment, it focuses on relieving pain, reducing suffering,<\/em> and improving quality of life<\/em> for patients and families.<\/li>\n
  2. Global and Indian Demand: <\/strong>According to the WHO<\/strong>, 40 million people globally<\/em> need palliative care each year, with 78% in low- and middle-income countries<\/em>. Yet only 14% receive it<\/em>. In India, an estimated 7 to 10 million people<\/em> need it annually, but only 1%-2% have access<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  3. Growing Need with Non-Communicable Diseases: <\/strong>Rising cases of cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases increase the demand. India\u2019s overburdened health-care system requires palliative care to minimise hospital visits<\/em> and reduce emotional and financial burdens<\/em> on families.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Challenges Hindering Palliative Care in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Unequal Access Despite Policy Inclusion: <\/strong>The inclusion of palliative care in the National Health Policy 2017<\/strong> was significant. However, access remains uneven<\/em>, especially in rural and low-income areas<\/em>. An estimated 7.2 million Indians<\/em> need such care each year, but systemic inefficiencies persist<\/em>.<\/li>\n
    2. Shortage of Specialised Professionals: <\/strong>Although India\u2019s doctor-population ratio is 1:834<\/em> (better than WHO\u2019s 1:1000<\/em> norm), very few doctors are trained in palliative care<\/em>. This hampers pain management and end-of-life services.<\/li>\n
    3. Limited Resources and Awareness: <\/strong>Inadequate funding<\/em>, poor infrastructure in tertiary care, and low public awareness<\/em> hinder timely care. Misconceptions lead to delayed or no access<\/em> to these essential services.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Integrating Palliative Care into Medical Education and Workforce<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. Curriculum Integration for Doctors: <\/strong>Adding palliative care to the MBBS curriculum<\/em> can train doctors in compassion and terminal care. Initiatives by AIIMS<\/strong>and ICMR<\/strong> reflect gradual improvements.<\/li>\n
      2. Empowering Health-Care Workers: <\/strong>With 34.33 lakh nurses<\/em> and 13 lakh allied health professionals<\/em>, India has a strong base. Task-shifting<\/em>\u2014training this workforce\u2014can expand access, especially in underserved areas.<\/li>\n
      3. Policy-Level Support and Insurance: <\/strong>Governments should allocate funds<\/em>, improve infrastructure, and ensure palliative care is included in schemes like Ayushman Bharat<\/em>. Collaboration with NGOs and private bodies can accelerate delivery.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Raising Awareness and Learning from Global Models<\/strong><\/h2>\n
          \n
        1. Promoting Public Understanding: <\/strong>Awareness campaigns can clarify the scope<\/em> of palliative care. It is not just end-of-life care, but also includes pain relief and psychological support<\/em> during chronic illness. Educating communities<\/em> early can lead to timely care and influence policy reform.<\/li>\n
        2. Adapting Global Best Practices: <\/strong>The U.S. model<\/strong> demonstrates how strong funding, insurance<\/em>, and hospice care<\/em> support quality end-of-life services. India can draw lessons while adapting them to its economic, demographic,<\/em> and cultural realities<\/em>.<\/li>\n
        3. Towards a Comprehensive Reform Agenda: <\/strong>Evidence-based, context-sensitive strategies<\/em> are crucial to improve palliative care. India must adopt a multi-pronged approach<\/em>: integrate palliative care in medical education<\/em>, empower allied health professionals through task-shifting<\/em>, invest in public infrastructure<\/em>, and raise awareness<\/em>. This will ensure compassionate, patient-centered care<\/em> and reduce the burden on families and the health-care system.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Question for practice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Discuss<\/strong> the major challenges and necessary reforms for integrating palliative care into India\u2019s health-care system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Source: The post Palliative care must be strengthened in India has been created, based on the article \u201cIntegrating compassion, prioritising palliative care\u201d published in \u201cThe Hindu\u201d on 3rd July 2025 UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 – Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector\/Services relating to\u00a0Health. Context: Millions in India endure avoidable suffering… Continue reading Palliative care must be strengthened in India<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[212,8131,10498],"class_list":["post-341946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-gs-paper-2","tag-social-issues","tag-the-hindu","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341946\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}