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CC BY 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1805023
Letter to the Editor

Harnessing Community Medicine for Holistic Palliative Care in India

Nidhi Shree
1   Department of Community Medicine, Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Dr. DY Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, Maharashtra, India
,
Pallavi Singh
2   Department of Pain & Palliative Medicine, Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Centre and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, Tata Memorial Centre, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
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The World Health Organization (WHO) defines palliative care as an approach that enhances the quality of life for patients and their families facing life-threatening illnesses by alleviating pain and other physical, psychosocial, and spiritual suffering. It focuses on early identification and comprehensive management of symptoms to prevent or relieve distress and improve well-being, whether the underlying illness is cancer, chronic organ failure, or other conditions.[1]

The diverse scope of palliative care also includes geriatric and pediatric populations, given the unique challenges both the extreme age groups face. Geriatric palliative care addresses the complex needs of older adults, many of whom experience multiple chronic illnesses, frailty, and cognitive impairments, such as dementia. It emphasizes quality of life, pain management, and advanced care planning to align care with the patient's preferences as they near the end of life.[2] [3] On the other hand, pediatric palliative care offers specialized support for children with conditions such as genetic disorders, congenital anomalies, or pediatric cancers, ensuring not only symptom control but also emotional and psychological support for both the child and the family.[4]

Thus, palliative care is recommended as part of integrated health systems, delivered across home, community, and hospital settings, ensuring access at all levels of care, including primary health care.[5]

In India, alleviating the suffering of patients with life-limiting illnesses via palliative care faces unique challenges due to the country's diverse population, limited health care access, and sociocultural dynamics. Despite its significance, India has only 0.3 trained palliative care physicians per million population.[6] Additionally, access to essential medications like morphine remains limited even in tertiary care centers.[7] Here comes the role of community medicine, which plays a pivotal role in bridging the gap between specialized care and the health care needs of individuals at the grassroots level, including rural areas. This is in alignment with India's Ayushman Bharat initiative, which promotes patient-centered care, helping meet the needs of both the elderly and children with life-limiting conditions at the community level. This commentary explores the potential and contributions of community medicine to the palliative care landscape in India.

Patient Consent

None.


Authors' Contributions

Both authors contributed to the conceived and designed the study and contributed to the definition of intellectual content, literature search, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and manuscript review.




Publication History

Article published online:
03 March 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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