Pain, palliative care and compassion

The theme of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2016 is: ‘Living and dying in pain: It doesn’t have to happen’. ehospice, with permission from the Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy, is drawing on narratives to highlight the effect of pain on people and families, and the value of palliative care and pain control in addressing this issue.

An estimated 1 million new cases of cancer occur each year in India, with over 80% presenting at the point at which the disease is incurable and/or has spread throughout the body, known as metastatic cancer. 

Around 60% of patients will already be in significant pain, and just under half will be experiencing excruciating, unbearable pain. The need for palliative care in India is huge. 

With a population of 14 million, 22% of people live below the poverty line (BPL) in Kolkata and a large proportion do not have the means to access even basic healthcare. With only a handful of outpatient palliative care clinics, even fewer are able to access essential pain medication and palliative care services.

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