Pt BD Sharma PGIMS is set to establish a dedicated 30-bed palliative care ward for terminally ill patients.
“This will be Haryana’s first such centre that would provide relief to patients suffering from severe pain and irreversible illnesses in the final stages of life. Patients battling unbearable pain in their last days deserve dignity, comfort and proper support. This ward will ensure humane care for such patients and their families,” said Dr HK Aggarwal, Vice Chancellor, University of Health Sciences Rohtak which operates the PGIMS.
He maintained that the initiative has been taken under the guidance of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Health Minister Arti Rao.
Dr Aggarwal said the proposal was suggested by PGIMS Medical Superintendent Dr Kundan Mittal, who highlighted the urgent need for a specialised facility for patients who are unable to eat, suffering from extreme pain, or can no longer be adequately cared for at home by their families.
“The dedicated ward will cater to both adult and paediatric patients and would focus not only on medical treatment but also on improving the quality of life of patients facing life-threatening illnesses. The facility will address physical pain, breathing distress, emotional suffering and psychological support,” the VC added.
Explaining the functioning of the proposed ward, Dr Mittal said that patients would first be admitted to regular wards. Once the treating doctors determine that curative treatment is no longer effective and the patient requires pain management and supportive care, they would be shifted to the palliative care ward.
“We often witness cancer patients, organ failure cases and elderly patients suffering immensely in their final stages. Families feel helpless as they struggle to manage them at home while hospital facilities remain limited. In many cases, prolonged ICU treatment in private hospitals also creates emotional and financial stress for families,” Dr Mittal said.
He maintained that doctors from the departments of medicine, anaesthesia, paediatrics and surgery would jointly manage the patients in the ward. There is also a plan to introduce an MD programme in palliative care at the PGIMS, he added.
“No government hospital in the state currently has a dedicated palliative care facility of this kind, making PGIMS Rohtak the first state-run institution to institutionalise terminal and end-of-life care,” said Dr Mittal.
