New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) Having a state
Palliative Care Policy is crucial to strengthen healthcare and also
reduce costs for patients in Delhi, according to a health experts on
Friday.
Palliative care is a branch of medicine
that aims to prevent and relieve the physical, social, and spiritual
suffering of patients suffering from chronic life-limiting illnesses and
their caregivers.
“A palliative care policy in Delhi can
streamline resources, integrate fragmented health systems, and ensure
systematic funding,” Parth Sharma, Department of Community Medicine,
Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, told IANS.
“I request the
policymakers of Delhi to consider creating a regional policy. This will
make Delhi the first region in North India to have its own palliative
care policy. It will also help in creating a model of care for urban
areas that could be replicated globally,” Sharma added.
A recent study, led by Sharma and other researchers from the varsity,
highlighted the significant need for home-based palliative care in urban areas and the financial hardship families face.
The
team screened 43,267 people in Delhi’s urban resettlement colonies to
assess home-based palliative care needs and the impact of chronic
illness on families.
The results showed that 2 per 1000 people required home-based palliative care.
The
majority were elderly males (60 per cent), with 51.11 per cent
illiterate and 55.56 per cent previously unemployed. Neurological
disorders, primarily stroke (67.8 per cent), were the leading cause of
disability.
While severe dependence was seen in nearly 49 per cent
of participants, 62.22 per cent of families reported a negative quality
of life, and 34.44 per cent incurred debt due to illness.
About 74 per cent had ration cards, 50 per cent received pensions, and only 15.56 per cent had public health insurance.
The
mean out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure was 58.56 per cent of their
per capita income and 11.11 per cent of their total family income,
revealed the findings published in the journal Palliative Care and
Social Practice.
Meanwhile, the study noted that the social
consequences extended beyond finances: with 42 per cent reporting a
deterioration in diet, 42 per cent stopping celebrating festivals and
family events, 31 per cent seeing their caregivers’ jobs being affected,
and 14 per cent reporting interruption in education. One family also
reported a suicide attempt.
“With an estimated 60-80k people
needing home care in Delhi, collaboration between public health centres,
medical colleges, civil society, and government is vital. Currently,
only civil society provides care; government engagement can bridge
critical gaps,” the expert told IANS.
"Palliative Care being a
basic human right, equitable care can only be ensured through Government
machinery with a definite declared Palliative Care Policy in place," KV
Hamza, General Secretary, DNipCare (Delhiites' National Initiative in
Palliative Care).
Hamza, an ex-official at the Ministry of
Finance, noted that while NGOs and the private health sector can make a
lot of headway, reaching out to the last patient, who is an urban poor,
standing in the remotest corner of the cosmopolitan city, can be
facilitated under the government guidelines only.
Sharma also
suggested expanding home-based palliative care via the National
Programme for Palliative Care and engaging medical colleges in
community-level palliative care. Expanding government insurance for
outpatient medicines can also help.
--IANS
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