Convenor	Dr. Rithesh B.
Students in charge	Kirshna C.R.
	Vishnu P.J.

Pain & Palliative Care Project in Govt. Homoeopathic Medical College, Kozhikode

The Pain & Palliative project has started at GHMC Kozhikode in 2001.It started as a 10 bedded ward under MP’s Local Development Fund of Dr. Abdul Samad Samadani MP. Since then the ward is functioning effectively as a major centre for Pain & Palliative Care treatment in the state of Kerala

In the year 2006 Govt. of Kerala approved the project “Shore of Solace -A Project on Pain & Palliative care in Homoeopathy” under the condition that no financial commitment will be met by the government. From 2006 onwards this project is running with the help of several voluntary organisations of Kerala

On an average 2-3 new cases got admitted every day. Due to the increasing demand an additional 10 bedded ward was constructed above the existing ward, so a total 20 beds are now available for the Palliative care. Yearly about 700-800 patients got admitted in the hospital for Palliative care and nearly 1000-1500 patients attend the OP for follow up care

The patients are managed solely with Homoeopathic remedies with appropriate use of accessory management methods like IV fluids, vitamin supplements, bladder catheterisation, Naso-gastric intubation, etc. A well-equipped physiotherapy unit is there in the institution which is giving appropriative physiotherapy and rehabilitation training for the patients.

Every patient admitted in the Palliative ward are assessed initially using Pain score, WHO performance status score, and degree of distress score. This will be done daily to assess the patient’s improvement.

A team of trained nurses and student volunteers trained in Palliative care are available round the clock for patient care.

As a second phase of the project we are planning to start a Home care Unit so that the patients once discharged need not come to the OP for follow-up .A team of doctors, nurses and student volunteers will visit them on a regular schedule and will give proper care at home. Only those who needed inpatient care will be admitted in the hospital.