NEWS ARCHIVE

INDIA, Rishikesh, June 30th, 2011
Palliative care expert visits GPH
Dr C Mohan, senior administrator at the Trivendrum Institute of Palliative Sciences, Kerala, visited Ganga Prem Hospice and joined in with the home care programme and clinics in June 2011.

Dr Mohan examines a home care patient in Dehradun

Seeing cancer patients in their homes and making expert observations about the Ganga Prem Hospice clinic and home care work, Dr Mohan's supportive visit was of great benefit to the GPH team as well as our patients. An anaesthesiologist who was teaching at a medical college in Trivendrum in 2003, Dr Mohan met Dr MR Rajagopal, the "father of Indian palliative care."

Since then Dr Mohan has looked after the administration of the palliative care initiative headed by Dr Rajagopal in Kerala.

On a personal visit to his son in Rishikesh, Dr Mohan spared his time to visit and give consultations to Ganga Prem Hospice patients, as well as offer excellent advice to the GPH team. On a bereavement visit, seeing the plight of a deceased patient's young family, Dr Mohan said, "Rehabilitation of the surviving family members and education for the children after the patient's death is a very important part of the palliative care effort."

A terminally ill breast cancer patient's husband narrated his anguish to Dr Mohan during a home visit in Dehradun. The elderly patient suffers from severe lymphoedema in her arm and is in extreme discomfort and pain. Dr Mohan accompanied the Ganga Prem Hospice team to the two cancer clinics in Dehradun and Rishikesh at the end of June.

Dr Mohan converses with Dr Gupta at a GPH clinic

He met Hospice manager Anil Gupta frequently and discussed his ideas for the future of Ganga Prem Hospice work.

INDIA, Rishikesh, June 26th, 2011
June clinic 2011
On the last weekend of June 2011 when Ganga Prem Hospice organised back-to-back clinics in Dehradun and Rishikesh, the trend of a larger percentage of cancer patients attending the clinics continued to be observed.

On a Sunday that saw a steady drizzle in Rishikesh, surgical oncologist Dr Ashish Goel led the Ganga Prem Hospice cancer clinic. 53 patients were seen, 22 of which were cancer patients, with another 2 suspected of having cancer. Oral cancers constituted a majority of the cancers seen with others being breast, skin, rectum, ovary, bladder, endometrium, and gall bladder.

Anil Gupta registering patients at the June clinic

Five patients were terminally ill, including one who could not attend but whose family came in his stead to consult the oncologist. They requested home care visits for the 75-year old family member who was afflicted with the disease.

The clinic activities were well supported by volunteers, including two young volunteers who gave patients foot massage. The elected Member of the Legislative Assembly, Prem Chand Aggarwal, representing Rishikesh in the Uttarakhand assembly, visited the clinic and wished patients well. The Hospice counselor, Sarojini Murthy requested him to support under-privileged cancer patients so that they could get financial aid for their treatment from the government. The MLA said that he was ready at all times to help with this meritorious work.

Dr Goel spent much time giving consultations in his calm and professional way. One elderly squamous-cell carcinoma patient's family expressed their satisfaction that the doctor had explained the condition to them in such great detail. For another larynx cancer patient who has been backing away from treatment for fear of surgery, Dr Goel advised radiotherapy. He was concerned about the patient's welfare since he was poor and still young.

Patients were counseled as always by Hospice counselor Sarojini Murthy and medicines were dispensed by pharmacist Totaram Arya. The GPH staff consisting of Pooja Dogra, Vas Koikara, Yogeshwar Prasad as well as Mr and Mrs Sebastion, with volunteers Anil Gupta, Kamla Bhasin, Anuj Gupta, Seema Sareen, Panshula and others assisted with the clinic work. Refreshments were donated by Annapoorna Rasoi of Rishikesh.

INDIA, Dehradun, June 25th, 2011
First Dehradun cancer clinic
The first ever Ganga Prem Hospice free cancer clinic in Dehradun was held on Saturday 25th June at the Ananda Hospital. Three oncologists, including a gynaecological cancer specialist, examined and gave consultations to seventy-one patients.

The Ganga Prem Hospice first free cancer clinic in Dehradun was held on the 25th of June at the Ananda Hospital, Shastri Nagar.

A patient is wheeled into the clinic while another, lying down, waits to see the oncologist

Three surgical oncologists worked for five hours to examine, give consultations, and conduct diagnostic tests for 71 patients, 39 (54%) of whom were cancer patients. Five of these 39 patients were terminally ill while seven of the patients who had come for screening were suspected to have cancer. Their disease was diagnosed for the first time at the Ganga Prem Hospice cancer clinic and they were guided as to what they should do to prevent further spread of the cancer.

Dr Ashish Goel, surgical oncologist, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, Delhi, Dr Rajinder Kaur, surgical oncologist, Apollo Hospital, Delhi, and Dr Vivek Gupta, surgical oncologist, Apollo Hospital, Delhi, gave patients thorough clinical examinations and followed up with advice on what diagnostic tests to get done and the future course of their cancer treatment, The patients were also advised on diet and exercises to help improve their conditions.

Gynaecological cancer specialist Dr Rajinder Kaur conducted Pap smear tests for detection of cervical cancer. A majority of the female cancer patients Dr Rajinder saw were breast cancer patients who were given a thorough breast exam by the oncologist. They were also given literature which showed how women could do a self-breast examination at home. The female patients felt very grateful to find a lady doctor in whom they could confide and show their problems.

Dr Ahujas' Diagnostic Centre, Dehradun, offered some tests free of charge and others at discounted rates for patients. Collection boys from the centre came to the clinic with blood sampling equipment to take specimens for diagnosis.

All three oncologists made fresh cancer diagnoses at the clinic and were happy they could detect patients' cancers, which could have otherwise gone undetected for long.

Some diagnosed cancer patients had been advised by their doctors that there was not much chance of oncological treatment for their disease now. The oncologist however thought differently. "I looked at the general condition of these patients and found that they still were in good enough health to take oncological treatment and have their condition improved," said Dr Vivek Gupta at the clinic.

A patient consulting Dr Vivek Gupta

A good publicity drive in the Uttarakhand media brought patients from Dehradun, Mussoorie, Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Tehri to seek consultations at the cancer clinic. The cancers most commonly found among the 39 cancer patients were breast, lung, rectum, oesophagus, base tongue, upper neck, bladder, prostate, and larynx.

The doctors were backed by a hard working team of Ganga Prem Hospice staff and volunteers from both Rishikesh and Delhi. A volunteer nurse from the Himalayan Institute joined the GPH staff nurse in assisting the doctors, and a cancer survivor not only volunteered herself but also brought in two more volunteers to assist with the clinic operations. Dr Mohan, palliative care specialist from Pallium India, Trivendrum, also attended the clinic and helped look after the patients.

As usual free medicines were distributed and the five terminally ill patients will receive follow up visits by the Ganga Prem Hospice home care team.

Sarojini comforts a deceased patient's wife

The Ganga Prem Hospice counselor Sarojini Murthy worked for the longest hours counselling patients, ensuring that they understood what their condition was and do not shy away from treatment. A deceased patient's wife came with her four little children to express her thanks to the Hospice team for the care her husband was given. The tearful woman was consoled by Sarojini.

INDIA, Rishikesh, May 30th, 2011
May clinic 2011
The May 2011 cancer clinic of Ganga Prem Hospice saw 84 patients in all, 6 of whom were children, 3 being seriously ill with the malignant brain cancer medulloblastoma.

43 of those who came for consultations were cancer patients (51%) and of these, 15 were terminally ill. The patients came from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun, Kotdwar, Muzaffarnagar, Roorkee, Najibabad, Tehri and Uttarkashi.

The Ganga Prem Hospice medical director Dr AK Dewan got some much needed support from senior gynaecologist Dr Rupali Dewan who gave consultations to female patients. An advanced ovary patient with liver metastasis who had travelled 200 kilometres from Uttarkashi was in acute discomfort because of fluid accumulation in her abdomen. The gynaecologist, in consultation with the oncologist, did an ascitic tap, and over the next few hours around 2 litres of fluid was drained as the patient remained under observation at the clinic.

Of the fifteen terminally ill patients who were given consultations, a number of them were extremely weak and had to be carried into the clinic. The most serious condition was that of Dehradun cheek cancer patient Kripa Ram who is now too weak to walk. His wife, little children and a male relative carried him all the way from Dehradun to Rishikesh for the clinic. His fungating wound was dressed at the clinic and his despairing wife was consoled by the Hospice palliative care counsellor.

Kripa Ram at the clinic with his wife and eldest son

Of the three children with medulloblastoma, one eleven year old boy was terminally ill. There were several seriously-ill patients who could not sit up and occupied the five beds at the Ganga Prem Hospice clinic in the Punjab Sindh Kshetra Hospital.

Several volunteers came forward to offer their help at the clinic. A daughter of a long time patient travelled for two hours all the way from Roorkee to volunteer. Another Rishikesh-based volunteer donated bed sheets for the clinic.

The Ganga Prem Hospice palliative care counsellor Sarojini Murthy counselled the patients, ensuring among other things that patients understood where they could go for diagnostic tests that were either offered free or at discounted rates for Ganga Prem Hospice patients. Two other allopathic doctors and one ayurvedacharya also assisted with the consultations.

The clinic wrapped up in seven hours after patients with 21 different kinds of cancers were given free of charge consultation, medicines and counselling support.

INDIA, Rishikesh, April 24th, 2011
April clinic 2011
The Ganga Prem Hospice April 2011 cancer clinic saw patients between 8 and 81 years of age. They came from far and wide: Rudraprayag, Bijnor, Najibadad, Dalhousie, Pauri Garhwal, Haridwar and Dehradun.

The Ganga Prem Hospice surgical oncologist Dr Ashish Goel, standing in for medical director Dr AK Dewan, saw 62 patients at the clinic. 23 were cancer patients and three of them were terminally ill. Five of the 62 patients were suspected cancer patients and were advised further tests. The cancers found were: breast, tongue, pyriform fossa, leukemia, endometrium, oesophagus, buccal mucosa, auditory canal, thyroid, larynx, and rectum.

A terminaly-ill patient makes his way to the clinic

Being summer, patients began to arrive very early in the morning. Dr Ashish Goel was at the clinic at half past eight and gave a lot of time to several patients, examining them and speaking to their kin about the extent of the patients' disease. When a long-time leukemia patient, whose treatment has been sponsored by Ganga Prem Hospice, asked the oncologist when he could stop taking medicine, Dr Goel explained to him that just like hypertension medicines have to be taken for a long time, leukemia medicines, he said, have to be continued to keep the disease under control.