Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, Kerala, India

We are glad to present the selected as awardees for the IAHPC Palliative Care Faculty Development Program:

The department of Pain and Palliative Medicine of Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences started the first two year residential postgraduate program in Pain and Palliative Medicine in India in January 2004. This is the only full time residential course in the whole country (apart from short courses, all other palliative care training programs in India are distance education courses). And this is the only course in the country that has the approval of an Indian university.

• This department works in collaboration with a non-government organization called Pallium India that works towards making palliative care education available over the whole country.
• This institution also works in collaboration with the WHO Collaborating Center at Madison – Wisconsin, USA for improving access to opioids at the national level.
• This institution works also in collaboration with the WHO Collaborating Center for Palliative Care at Oxford, UK for incorporation of palliative care in undergraduate curriculum in the country.
• The department is struggling to keep up the tempo of work, and needs full-time faculty to expand its scope of activities.
• Meaningful research in palliative care is practically non-existent in India.
• Palliative Care is a poorly developed field in this country and few teachers are available

Selected Candidate

Dr Gayatri Palat has been appointed as the Faculty Person as an Associate Professor in Pain and Palliative Medicine at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi for a period of four years.

Her responsibilities include:

• Teaching at the two year Diploma in Pain and Palliative Medicine course (DPPM)
• Teaching at the six weeks Certificate Course in Pain and Palliative Medicine (CCPPM)
• Work towards refinement of the curriculum for the above courses
• Development of educational material in palliative care
• Teaching nurses, social workers and other paramedical staff involved in palliative care delivery
• Teaching palliative care to medical and nursing students as well as to work towards refinement of the curriculum in palliative care for undergraduate medical and nursing students.
• Work with governments for incorporation of palliative care in routine medical service, and for improving access to opioids for pain relief.
• Liaise with non government agencies including Pallium India and WHO collaborating Centre at Madison – Wisconsin as well as with local NGOs to further cause of palliative care delivery in the country.
• Participate in patient care – outpatient, inpatient and home visits.
• Work towards inclusion of palliative care in medical and nursing curricula at the national level by liaising with Indian Medical Council, Indian Nursing Council and with the National Board of Examinations of India.
• Initiate and conduct need-oriented research projects in palliative care as well as train students in research methodology.

Expected outcome measures of this Program include:

• The number of teaching programs undertaken by the faculty member.
• The number of students trained during the period of two years.
• The number of palliative care services started with the assistance of this faculty member.
• The number of collaborative programs undertaken with outside agencies.
• The progress with liaison with medical and nursing councils and with the national board of examinations.
• The progress with liaison with governments, both central and state.
• The curricula that are developed.
• The educational material produced.
• Record of contribution to patient care.
• Record of research work undertaken or guided.

The palliative care team: Drs Vasudevan, Asha and Radhika making home visits	Main entrance to Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences
Dr Gayari Palat, awardee of the IAHPC Faculty Development Program	Dr Sanjeev Vasudevan on home visit
Dr Ajithakumari examining a patient during a home visit
Dr. Gayatri Palat teaching the Palliative Care fellows and Nurses