PALLIATIVE CARE IN INDIA: THE ROAD AHEAD abstract

As the prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) rise worldwide and more patients need long-term care for chronic diseases, palliative care is becoming more and more important. Palliative care is basically to provide physical, social, emotional comfort for persons dealing with life threatening illnesses. It is helpful for both patients and care givers in managing symptoms including the pain relief. Even though the services of palliative care has been widely acknowledged across the globe, the developing countries like India lacks a lot in providing a total care for the individuals in need of palliative care. This article tries to explore the development of palliative care in India along with the critical gaps such as lack of training and capacity building, unawareness of pc among the public as well as persistent barriers to the adequate availability and use of morphine and other essential pain-relieving medications. By synthesizing recent literature and policy developments, this paper emphasizes the need for effective national strategies to address these gaps, improve service delivery, and enable all Indians to access equitable palliative care. The discussion emphasizes the importance of integrating palliative care within systemic healthcare delivery, committing to workforce capacity development, and amending regulatory barriers to address some of the current challenges to service provision.