With a view to ensuring healthcare facilities to poor cancer patients, the State Government has decided to cover all District Headquarters Hospitals (DHHs) under a District Palliative Care Programme (DPCP).
Health & family Welfare Secretary Pramod Kumar Meherda has informed the Chief District Medical Officers (CDMOs) to get in readiness for launching of the programme on Thursday (November 7).
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would launch the programme essentially for all terminally ill cancer patients. The palliative care would be available at the DHHS.
While the District Cancer Care Programme is already being implemented at the DHHs, the Rourkela General Hospital (RGH) and the Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar since 2017, the District Palliative Care Programme (DPCP) would now be launched all DHHs, said Dr Meherda.
The DPCP would render palliative care services like pain management, wound care and minor maneuvers like pleural aspiration, etc. Besides, counselling, spiritual healing and skill building of caregivers would be undertaken at the DHHs.
The Medical Officers and Staff Nurses, who are already trained in palliative care, are to be engaged for the purpose. Narcotic painkillers like oral morphine would be made available for the patients.
Where palliative care is not available, two to three beds of the District Day Care Cancer Chemotherapy Centre can be utilised, advised the Health Secretary.