Broadwell Christian Hospital, Fatehpur, Palliative Care Service
Vijay Bahadur (45) was from an impoverished Dalit family near Broadwell Christian Hospital, Fatehpur. The only wage earner doing manual labour for daily wages, he supported his wife, 3 daughters, 4-year old son and elderly father. Two years ago he had an ulcer, dry mouth and change of voice for which he consulted several doctors. He was forced to borrow money from relatives and sell his only buffalo to meet medical costs, only to hear that nothing could be done. “Go home and live out the rest of your life”……without any medicines for his symptoms. Severe pain filled his days and nights, robbing him of sleep and hope until he was bed bound. Referred to BCH’s Palliative Care service, he was immediately prescribed strong painkillers. He was so relieved he began traveling outside his village to places he wanted to see. The PC Team visited every week, prayed and gave a solar rechargeable voice messenger to hear the Gospel in Hindi, providing much emotional peace. Vijay and his family became very close to the team. The hospital gave full charity on all treatment as he was unable to work. Just over a year later, his condition worsened, his throat swelled and he had an impending sense of doom. Soon after, as his wife held him tightly, he took his last breath and died peacefully in her arms. It was a ‘good death’ in his place of choice, his home, surrounded by his loved ones and relatively symptom free.

Lakhnadon Christian Hospital, a new Palliative Care Service
A new palliative care service was initiated at Lakhnadon Christian Hospital in the second week of December. The team comprises Dr Nisha Abraham, Nurses Shanti & Priti, and Kamlesh. Following initial orientation to building awareness by Leela Pradhan, the team quickly reached out to different communities and school principals. In our experience school children are very receptive, understand risky behaviour such as chewing tobacco and spread the message among their parents. The large group of high schoolers also allows for oral screening and a medical camp. Often palliative care patients are identified as a result of school awareness.

The team also enrolled patients including a man paralysed for 36 years from childhood polio, lying unkempt, dirty and forgotten in his hut. He was weeping and crying out for help. They carried him out into the sun as the winter chill is severe now, bathed him and provided family training on how to care for him better. The man’s gratitude was boundless, especially when he saw his bed that had been made up in the sun with a clean sheet and pillow.

Palliative Care Training
On September 23/24 twenty one EHA staff attended an ‘End-of-Life Workshop’ with resource persons from Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai. Dr Mary Ann Muckaden, Professor and Head, Department of Palliative Medicine & President-elect Indian Association of Palliative and Dr Naveen Salins, Associate Professor, Department of Palliative Medicine, gave valuable teaching in communication skills, symptom management, care pathways, ethics and legal issues. The workshop was supported by Rev Neil Watkinson in memory of his wife, Dr Debbie Watkinson, who passed away earlier this year of cancer. Debbie, apart from being a palliative care physician, was a friend and trainer at an EHA symptom management workshop last year.

27 doctors and nurses attended two training programmes - Basic Course in Palliative Care at HBM Hospital, Lalitpur, a centre accredited by the Indian Association of Palliative Care. So far 57 EHA staff members have undergone this valuable training. Grateful thanks to EHA-Canada for a grant to support capacity building in palliative care.

Praise God for:
1. The amazing opportunity to become a part of hurting lives and attempt to bring love, concern, hope and dignity to among the most vulnerable so that they recognise the babe in the manger.
2. The Lord’s provision of resources to meet all our needs.
3. The new palliative care service at Lakhnadon Christian Hospital, M.P

Pray for:
1. Wisdom to stay true to our vision and mission to alleviate suffering in a wholistic way and to maintain the best quality of life until the end.

Christmas Blessings to all!