Our Condolences....

With profound grief we are to inform our volunteers and well wishers that two of our Palliative family members viz., Mr. Narendra Sabharwal of Nehru Vihar Timarpur and Mr. Vijay Kumar of Rohini Delhi bid farewell to this world on 30^th & 31^st May 2014.  

Mr. Narendra Sabharwal died in Safdarjung Hospital at 7.00 PM on 30th May 2014, while Mr. Vijay Kumar had his last breath in Shanti Avedna Sadan at 4.00 PM on 31st May 2014. 

We are grateful to all our volunteers for their unconditional concern, care and support.  

Let us pray for the departed souls. 

With regards,

kv hamza,

Gen. Secretary, DNipCare

www.dnipcare.org

9891008356

Random Thoughts on WHO’s World No Tobacco Day

Random Thoughts on WHO’s World No Tobacco Day

Today is WHO’s World No Tobacco Day.  

What we can do? First question of many people followed with an additional thought “it is for the Government to ban Tobacco selling”.

We as volunteers of DNipCare see many badly suffering patients with oral cancer struggling at the fag end of their lives and tobacco played major role to reach them here. 

So what about our Individual Social Responsibility?  Can’t we just interact with our domestic servants, rikshaw pullers, auto drivers and even friends and fellow employees to find out whether they are using tobacco or not?  Then try to explain the dreadfulness  waiting If they continue; give alternate options like eating frugal wet or dry Dates which will not only subside hunger but add up to their good health.   

99 of the hundred we interact may not listen or agree to.  No need to loose heart, the one listened will get reformed and spread the message in the interest and well being of humanity. Let us say No to Tobacco and Kill the Cancer Before it Kills Us.   

http://dnipcare.blogspot.in/2012/11/cancer-prevention-part-of-palliation.html

http://dnipcare.blogspot.in/2013/05/no-to-tobacco-cancer-prevention-part-of.html

http://dnipcare.blogspot.in/2013/03/our-heartfelt-condolence.html

kv hamza,

General Secretary, DNipCare

www.dnipcare.org

9891008356

Huge health burden

Editorial : The Hindu Dated 4th June 2014

That over 27 per cent of tobacco consumers in India fall in the 15-24 year age bracket amply demonstrates how successful the tobacco companies have been in continually enticing the vulnerable sections of the population into the suicidal practice. The addition of new customers every year even as thousands of patrons die annually ensures that the tobacco companies’ customer base remains wide and tall. If the global tobacco-related mortality is 

about 5.5 million people annually, India’s burden alone is nearly one million. With nearly 35 per cent of the adult population in the country addicted to the dangerous substance rolled in paper or leaf or packed in plastic sachets, India is the second largest consumer of tobacco products in the world. Besides the high levels of mortality and morbidity, there is a huge economic cost involved in treating people with diseases caused directly or indirectly 

by tobacco use. As a result, the out-of-pocket expenditure on medical treatment results in “higher poverty rates.” A recently released Health Ministry report estimates that 9.3 lakh people in India are affected by the health costs of tobacco. According to the report, the total health expenditure burden of tobacco in the year 2011 was a little over Rs.100,000 crore. To put it in perspective, the amount was “12 per cent more than the combined State and central government expenditure on health in 2011-12.” The revenue earned 

through excise duty in the same year was a paltry 17 per cent of the health burden of tobacco. The “benefit” argument of revenue generation through sales therefore stands completely negated. 

It is for these reasons that the Central government, which considers health to be one of the priority areas, should simultaneously implement multiple strategies to prevent people, particularly children as young as 15 years, from getting addicted to nicotine and help the existing users to quit smoking and/or chewing tobacco. If the government is indeed serious about reducing the prevalence by 15 per cent by 2020 and 30 per cent by 2025, the most 

effective way of achieving it is by raising taxes. It is indeed heartening that the new Union Health Minister “supports” higher taxes on cigarettes and tobacco products; raising tax on tobacco is the WHO’s theme this year. But for any tax increase to become effective, the price difference between various brands and different tobacco products must be minimal. But India follows a bizarre, producer-friendly excise duty structure for cigarettes, beedis and chewing 

tobacco that makes a mockery of taxation. Hence, a complete overhaul of the taxation system is warranted to achieve the desired benefits. It is time the tobacco issue was addressed with greater seriousness. 

Online OPD appointments for 24 Delhi Government Hospitals

Patients require and deserve other better facilities also.  

Anybody listening?

Palliative Patients Visit on 17.05.2014 to Sir Soba Singh Dharamshala of Delhi State Cancer Institute

A photo op of us, the volunteers of DNipCare 

with Mrs. Elizabeth Antony, President, Navoothan Charitable Trust, 

after our Palliative patients visits in 

Sir Soba Singh Dharamshala of Delhi State Cancer Institute, 

Dilshad Garden today, i.e., 17.05.2014

DNipCare - Palliative Charitable Clinic & Centre

Opening on 8th June 2014 - tentatively

DNipCare

Palliative Charitable 

Clinic and Centre

D – 218, Abul Fazal Enclave

Jamia Nagar, Delhi – 110025

www.dnipcare.org

9891008356, 9868726697

The Palliative Care Monthly Review Meeting on Saturday, 10th May 2014

Dear friends,

The Palliative Care Monthly Review Meeting under DNipCare will be held at 5.30 PM on Saturday, 10th May 2014 in Kerala Club, M 67, Connaught Place, New Delhi.

All the volunteers and well-wishers are requested to kindly make it convenient to attend the meeting.

With warm regards,

kv hamza,
General Secretary, DNipCare
www.dnipcare.org
9891008356

What can we do?

“I don’t want to lose my leg” She said candidly.  Lying on a coarse cloth on the wooden coat without a bed mattress, the 12 year old girl without an iota of flesh on her protruding bones was a scene of worry.  Her entire bald head shining in the little light of passing sun peeping through the tiny holes of the cardboard sheet covering the window in this hot summer evening remains as the mark of many cycles of potential chemotherapy she underwent in the hospital.  She was studying in seventh standard, but could not attend classes or write exam as she stopped going to school six months back owing to the severity of Pleomorphic sarcoma, a kind of bone Cancer along with further spread on lungs (Lung metastasis).  

“I would have been in eighth class had it not been for my disease” her desperate voice while looking at her siblings who are in 9^th, 6^th & 4^th classes in school.  Except for the occasional liquid or semisolid items Asha (Name changed) does not have any other diet owing to the ulcer in her mouth, the after effect of chemotherapy.  Forget about standing, she can hardly afford to get up and sit down for sometimes due to weakness and tiresome.  The large lump with bandaged wound on the right leg makes her further immobile.  Still she passes on a melancholic smile through her tired eyes and parched lips.  

   

Holding her long slender fingers I could not help asking whether she does drawings or paintings.  Instead of a verbal reply she pointed her finger to the colourful painting made on a notebook sheet and pasted on the wall of the thatched one room hutment of her.  A mixture of different colours of crayons with definite lines and landscaping marks the style of her painting.  On a little encouragement she started being eloquent through her feeble voice about her desire to draw, paint and hang on the walls.  But above all her strong desire is to be in her school along with her friends of whom only Khushboo, who stays nearby comes to visit her at home and spend some time with her now-a-days. 

It is not only the disease, illness and poverty and but the irresponsibility of her father who does the job for a couple of days to drink alcohol for next  three days absenting from job, aggravates the condition at home where 5 more mouths including her mother besides her are to be fed in. 

Now comes our role, the role of Palliative Care volunteers, but hardly we know how to discharge our roles effectively especially in this case. 

A whole lot of questions crop up to our minds. 

·       Can we ensure that her leg will not be amputated as she desires?

·       Can we ensure a disease free quality life after compelling her to go the medical protocol for amputation?

·       Can we hope her to join back the school and her classmates?

·       Can we eradicate the poverty at her home so that she with her siblings and mom get two square meals a day?

·       Can we reform her father to stay away from alcohol?

·       Can we….?

·       Can we….?

·       Can we….?

kv hamza, 

Gen. Secretary, DNipCare

www.dnipcare.org

9891008356