DNipCare’s “Freedom from Pain” Campaign & Celebration of Independence Day with Cancer Patients. Five Years of Palliation in the National Capital Territory of Delhi

Again this year it was a diverse celebration of Indian Independence Day for the volunteers of DNipCare in Delhi on 15^th August 2013.  After attending the flag hoisting ceremony in the Delhi State Cancer Institute (East), Dilshad Garden, Delhi, the volunteers as usual ventured into the wards of the hospital and also to all those patients staying in the adjacent Sir Sobha Singh Dharamshala of the Cancer Institute.  Meeting the patients, exchange pleasantries, counseling them, wherever required, and also distributing fruit juices, Independence Day cards, stickers etc., were the approach.  The innovative ways of students of NSS Unit of IIT Delhi to convey the spirit of freedom and the meaning of tricolours to take care of parents and elders/teachers added colour and value to the celebration.  Mrs. Vandana Sharma, Joint Secretary Department of Pension & Pensioner’s Welfare, Shri MK Sharma, Addl. Secretary(Retd.), Ministry of Law & Justice, Dr. Deepak Srivastava, Neurologist  and Shri AT Sainudin, President DNipCare led the Freedom from Pain Campaign of the organization.  Dr. RK Grover, Director & CEO, Delhi State Cancer Institute hoisted the flag and talked at length on the curative aspects of Cancer and the facilities including surgical interventions started in the institute.  He has also acknowledged the services and   association of DNipCare with the Institute for rendering Palliative Home Care for the patients.  

The DNipCare entering its 6^th year of humane service by way of Palliative Home Care for the long term, bedridden, terminally ill patients including Cancer and Geriatric patients has despite many challenges specific to the metropolitan city of Delhi has come a long way in patient care, but definitely has to add further quality in the service delivery.  The organization has set in a model of nearly 0% overheads and 100% focused resource utilization for Patient care in Palliative care services by leveraging the philanthropy and volunteerism of the people including medical professionals and counselors.  It is a holistic approach under DNipCare wherein the long term, bedridden patients other than Cancer patients are also being taken care off for medical/nursing care, urine catheterization, bedsore management, feeding tube management, physiotherapy requirements etc through weekend home care by voluntary medical and social support teams. 

The organization has also set in a precedence of optimal transparency in the fund management by ensuring the display of day-today activities and the related fund flow on the website for public scrutiny including that of the beneficiaries and benefactors.  This trend if replicated compulsorily in the social sector can reclaim the loss of credibility of the Non-Governmental organizations in general. 

 

Some of the recognitions for the services rendered by DNipCare during the last 5 years are; 3^rd Prize of International Journal of Palliative Nursing 2013, National Florence Nightingale Award 2012 for Mr. Suresh TP,(Male Nurse of Safdarjung Hospital and also Secretary of DNipCare), First Social Worker Award of KMCC, Delhi to Mr. KV Hamza, General Secretary of DNipCare, Membership of the Institutional Ethics Committee of Delhi State Cancer Institute, Participation in Common Review Mission of NRHM consecutively in 2010, 2011 & 2012, Participation in the India International Trade Fair 2010 & 2011, Health Mela 2010 etc.        

The organization is proud to showcase the strengths of its volunteers hailing from different walks of professions.

As such, DNipCare is not only a scalable approach in Palliative Care, but also a unique replicable model for any cosmopolitan city to test with.

So while we are hale and hearty let us empathize, spare some time and resources for ailing patients and spread the message of Palliative Care.