Ensuring Compassionate Care Through Kerala Care: A Model for Palliative Services

News Desk

10 March 2025 03:15 PM

Kerala has taken a significant step towards ensuring accessible and comprehensive palliative care through the ‘Kerala Care’ Palliative Care Grid. The grid has been formed to include all palliative care units operating in the government and voluntary sectors.

The Kerala Palliative Care Grid operates with the support of voluntary organisations and trained volunteers, making palliative care more accessible across urban and rural areas. Led by the State Health Department in collaboration with Kerala Digital University, the initiative is implemented with the cooperation of the Local Self-Government Department. The grid was launched after a successful test run and security audit.

The Kerala Palliative Care Grid is designed to streamline and enhance palliative care services across the state. It facilitates the registration of new patients and ensures structured follow-up care to provide continuous support. Additionally, the grid enables the registration and training of volunteers, equipping them with the necessary skills to assist bedridden patients effectively. Voluntary organisations engaged in palliative care activities can also register and collaborate within the grid, fostering a more coordinated approach. To make services easily accessible, the platform offers the public the flexibility to choose the care services they need. Moreover, a comprehensive dashboard system has been implemented at the state, district, panchayat, and ward levels to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of palliative care initiatives. A public-facing dashboard is also available, ensuring greater transparency and accessibility of information related to palliative care services.

Palliative care is a core focus area of the Navakeralam Karma Padhathi II Aardram Mission. As part of the Comprehensive Palliative Care Action Plan, the grid ensures that every bedridden patient has a trained volunteer nearby. It also coordinates palliative care services and facilitates training across districts. Kerala leads India in palliative care implementation, with 2,000 home care units and 100,000 volunteers caring for approximately 150,000 bedridden patients. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recognised Kerala’s palliative care model as an exemplary initiative.