Catholic Health Assn inks MoU with Pallium India

KOCHI: The Vatican has decided that all Catholic hospitals will provide palliative care to the dying patients globally . To begin with, Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI) has signed a MoU with Pallium India, a model that will be imitated globally .“All Catholic healthcare facilities in the world are committed to ensure that end-of-life care patients get palliative care.This is the optimal manner in which we can reduce people's suffering and ease their physical, psychological and spiritual pain," said Dr Nunziata Comoretto, bioethicist, scientific section, Pontifical Academy of Life, Vatican.

Pope Francis had shown support for palliative care for the elderly ahead of the 21st general assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life in the Vatican in 2015. Inspired by it, in April 2017, they organized a workshop on palliative care in the Vatican and invited Dr MR Rajagopal, chairman, Pallium India. The Pontifical Academy exists for the promotion and defence of human life.

“The CHAI-Pallium India partnership will be a model to the rest of the world. Other Catholic Health associations worldwide can look at similar possibilities," said Dr Comoretto, who is in Kochi to attend Catholic Health Association of India's (CHAI) national health convention-2017.

With this new partnership, CHAI will recommend its member hospitals to have palliative care facilities that will ensure that the aged live and die with dignity and love. Apart from training doctors and nurses, family members of patients would also be trained. Oral morphine and other symptomatic drugs would be made available to patients at affordable cost.

“It is expected that on Sunday CHAI will come out with a declaration asking all member healthcare institutions to include palliative care and pain relief as essential part of their service," Dr Rajagopal said.

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president, Pontifical Academy of Life, Vatican, said representatives of different religions would be attending the event.