Considering the natural calamities looming large over various parts of Kerala, a disaster relief palliative force comprising voluntary social workers and staff members from all the 18 centres of Alpha Palliative Care was launched. The initiative was inaugurated by Ushakumari, Thahasildar, Chavakkad, at a function held at Alpha Palliative Care’s headquarters at Edamuttom on Saturday. On the occasion, she also gave away the awards to those who successfully completed the palliative care training and quality improvement programs jointly provided by Stanford Medicine, Tata Trust, National Cancer Control Program and Equip India.
Speaking on the occasion, K M Noorden, Chairman, Alpha Palliative Care Traust, said the Disaster Relief Palliative Care Force will add more members in the coming days from the student community and the general public. For this, the project take measures in association with the Student Association of Palliative Care, he said. Presently, the Force is composed of 11 volunteers and staff members from each of Alpha’s centres. Each of them is already briefed on those who are bed-ridden at their houses and may need immediate shifting in case of floods, water-logging and such natural calamities occur. All centres are made equipped to handle at least five more patients at such contingencies. The dialysis centre will be manned to work overtime on such occasions taking the number of dialysis to 20, he added.
