Sparsh Hospice, an 82-bed palliative care facility in Khajaguda, was inaugurated by MA&UD Minister K.T. Rama Rao on Saturday, where services will be provided free of cost to terminally ill patients.
The 60,000 sft centre was constructed on 1.1 acre land, leased out by the State government, at ₹15 crore, funded by corporates and individuals.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), “Palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing challenges associated with life-threatening illnesses, whether physical, psychological, social or spiritual.”
Chief anaesthetist at Rainbow Children’s Hospital Dr. M Subrahmanyam said that palliative care does not refer to treatment of the original illness, but management of suffering around the illness such as loss of appetite, weakness, and vomiting.
KTR said that he did not know about palliative care and started to learn about the concept after visiting the Sparsh Hospice’s old facility at Banjara Hills in 2006.
Dr. Subrahmanyam said that every year, around 14 lakh cancer patients get added in India. “Around 60% of them need palliative care. And it is estimated that only 2% receive it. As a humane society, we need to do something about it. The best way is to build a hospice,” he added.
Services offered
Palliative care at Sparsh Hospice involves physical, emotional and spiritual care by a team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, counsellors and spiritual guides. It also offers home care services. All these services are offered free.
The facility has paediatric palliative care, physiotherapy room, library, gym, lounge, nursing dormitory, doctors’ residence, pharmacy and mortuary, and can serve 82 patients, 150 home care patients and another 50 out patients.
Besides palliative care to cancer patients, services will also be provided to patients suffering from other life-limiting illnesses. It has dementia and Parkinson’s ward, geriatric ward, and paediatric ward. Around 20% of beds will be reserved for these illnesses.
Daycare ward, massage room, amphitheatre, conference room, family counselling rooms, kitchen, dining, and a water body, are available too.
According to CEO of Sparsh Hospice Ram Mohan Rao Yarrapothu, the 82-bed centre will be serving patients with advanced stage of cancer, dementia, and Parkinson’s to embrace death without regrets.
