NEWS ARCHIVE

INDIA, Rishikesh, July 26th, 2009
July clinic 2009
Dr. Dewan and Dr Saxena saw thirteen cancer patients and one new terminally-ill patient with poor prognosis among the 27 patients that came for consultation at the July cancer clinic in Rishikesh

July is that time of the year when torrential rains lash the river-side town of Rishikesh and July 26, when the Ganga Prem Hospice monthly cancer clinic was held, was one such rainy day. However, despite the downpour, the clinic was quite a busy one as twenty-seven patients arrived at the Punjab Sindh Kshetra and Sardarni Nanki Devi dispensary to get consultations from Dr Ajay Dewan, the Ganga Prem Hospice medical director. Of these twenty-seven patients, thirteen suffered from cancer in different stages and one was terminally-ill.

The terminally ill cancer patient was Neema, aged 34, swho was uffering from Cancer of the Liver. She is a destitute woman living under the care of the Shivananda Asharam Home. Dr. Dewan counselled her and explained that she has very little time left to live.

There were 2 patients at the clinic who needed immediate financial support. Kirpal Singh, a 65-year-old man, is suffering from Secondaries in his neck. His prognosis is poor, he has no previous records and doesn’t have any source of financial help. Despite all this, Dr. Dewan referred him to Dr. Saini at the Himalaya Hospital at Jolly Grant for tests to help assess the course of his future care. Ganga Prem Hospice will do all that it can to help him and is appealing for a sponsor to come forward to support him. The other patient was Ganga Prasad suffering from Cellulitis of his left leg with persistent indurations of the middle toe. He was advised to take a Doppler X-ray test to determine the course of his further treatment but he also doesn’t have any financial means to do this.

At the July clinic, one third of the total number of patients were first time visitors to the Ganga Prem Hospice clinic while the rest had come for follow-up treatment. Half of the cancer patients were new while half were regular patients. With our limited stock of medicines, the hospice team tried its best to provide as many free-of-cost medicines, as possible, to the most needy patients. Luckily the store has now been replenished through the generosity of the Abro Pharmaceutical company of Delhi.

The GPH gynaecologist, Dr Saxena was also there to give consultations to the female patients. The doctors’ team was assisted by Mr Ghai, Sarojini Murthy, Ms Kamla Bhasin, a volunteer and our general manager, Swami Madhavananda who all welcomed and counselled the many worried patients and families who visited the clinic.

Sarojini and Madhavananda at registration

One of our poor patients, Sadhu Arjun Nath, who is being provided with Cancer treatment and medicines by Ganga Prem Hospice is now also receiving food supplies and nutritional supplements to help him through his chemotherapy.

INDIA, Rishikesh, June 28th, 2009
June clinic 2009
Dr Ashish Goel gives consultation to 28 patients at the June clinic.

This time the consultant oncologist at the Ganga Prem Hospice monthly cancer clinic was Dr. Ashish Goel, from Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, Delhi, who came in lieu of Dr. Dewan.

Dr. Goel, in his quiet, unassuming and gentle manner examined 28 patients in all, giving each patient ample time and writing out detailed case histories which are so thorough and complete. Of the 28 patients he saw, 15 were cancer cases, some of these being new while others were follow up cases.

Dr Goel examines a patient

Dr ( Mrs) Saxena, our Rishikesh based gynecologist, was also at the clinic to attend to the female patients.

The Sunday clinic was attended by a new terminally ill cancer patient, a 75 year old man suffering from cancer of the Pancreas. His prognosis was poor. As the family have not yet disclosed his disease to the patient they did not want the home care volunteers to visit him.

Umang with his parents waiting to see Dr Goel

A seven year old child, Umang Varma, who had been diagnosed as having blood cancer, was seen by Dr. Goel who advised some more tests as the reports, he felt, were not conclusive. He also advised the patient's father to go to AIIMS hospital in New Delhi for further treatment as the facilities and cost would be more suitable for long term treatment.

Sadhu Arjun Nath, whom Dr. Dewan had previously diagnosed as having bronchogenic cancer came to the clinic. He has already undergone three cycles of chemo therapy at the Himalayan Institute, Dehradun. Three more cycles of chemo therapy have been recommended but he is destitute and has no means of his own to continue the treatment. A Ganga Prem Hospice volunteer, who had come to the clinic to take photographs, kindly came forward to sponsor his treatment and gave an initial donation to cover his chemo therapy costs.

Our pharmacist, Mr. Arya and his band of helpers from the Punjab Sindh Kshetra did their usual routine service of preparing the clinic, attending to the needs of the doctors and volunteers and distributing free medicines to the poor patients

Mr Arya distributing free medicines at the clinic

One of our home care patients, Mrs Kamlesh Dutt, is in need of a wheel chair to go to the bathroom, as she has quite a heavy body and her family are finding difficulty in supporting her. The need was supplied by a Rishikesh family and the wheelchair was delivered to her home by our general manager Madhavananda ji.

INDIA, Rishikesh, May 31st, 2009
May clinic 2009
Two patients diagnosed with lung cancer at the May clinic.

The May 2009 Ganga Prem Hospice cancer clinic in Rishikesh was a very busy one with 31 patients coming for consultations with the Hospice medical director, Dr Ajay Dewan. Twelve of these thirty one patients suffered from cancer. Two new patients were diagnosed as suffering from cancer. Both patients were males and were found to have lung cancer. One terminally-ill breast cancer patient, Kamlesh, who has now got liver and bone metastasis, was too unwell to come to the clinic. Her husband came instead to see Dr. Dewan and was advised about her future course of treatment and care. This TICP is economically not very well off and has been under treatment at the Jolly Grant hospital and another government-aided hospital in Dehradun.

With one patient coming in every ten minutes, the GPH palliative care counselor, Sarojini Murthy, our trustee, Mr Raghuvir Ghai, and our General Manager Swami Madhavanand had a busy day from 9 AM when the clinic started to 1 PM, when the day’s proceedings were wrapped up. Since the clinic coincided with the World No Tobacco Day (31 May), some news reporters from local dailies visited the clinic to interview Dr. Dewan on tobacco-related cancer diseases.

Sarojini Murthy and Swami Madhavanand later also paid a visit to the late Madhu Rana’s home as it was the 13th day after her death on the 19th of May 2009. Madhu Rana had been GPH’s long-time terminally-ill cervix cancer patient and fought her disease and condition valiantly till the very end. Read More ...

INDIA, Dehradun, May 30th, 2009
Addressing the media for World No Tobacco Day
Ganga Prem Hospice held a well attended press conference at Dehradun on May 30th which was the eve of World No Tobacco Day.

This World No Tobacco Day (31st of May, 2009), pictorial health warnings on tobacco products became a mandatory requirement in India. Ganga Prem Hospice marked the day by drawing the media’s attention to the grim connection between tobacco and cancer, through a press conference in Dehradun. The commonest cancers among males in India are oral, voice box and laryngeal cancers, which are all related to tobacco consumption. With lung cancer having a survival rate of just about 15%, most lung cancer patients end up as terminally-ill, needing palliative care and hospice services.

The Ganga Prem Hospice press conference, “World No Tobacco Day: India’s Tobacco Burden” was held at Hotel Indralok, Rajpur Road, Dehradun on the 30th of May, 2009. Although it was raining hard in Dehradun and surrounding areas of the Garhwal region, the press conference was very well attended and saw around 20 newspapers and one television channel covering the event.

Dr. Dewan with someof the journalists

Dr Ajay Dewan, Ganga Prem Hospice’s medical Director and senior oncologist at the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, New Delhi, made a presentation for the media on the health, social and economical fallout of tobacco consumption.

The presentation was followed by a Q&A session with the media where several questions related to tobacco consumption, production and regulation were raised by the newspersons. A question asked by many journalists was why tobacco production was not being reined in, and why there was focus solely on tobacco consumption. Some journalists referred to a tobacco factory in Uttarkahand and its production processes. Dr. Dewan explained that tobacco production had problems of employment and regulation related to it. If tobacco consumption itself was reduced, tobacco as an agricultural product would find no takers. “These issues are inter-connected and we cannot deal with just one aspect of the tobacco problem. However, as medical and media professionals, our job is to raise awareness about the grave effects of tobacco consumption on one’s health, on the society and economy of the country”, Dr. Dewan said.

The much-debated topic of allowing films to depict smoking also came up for discussion during the interactive session at the press conference. As a medical expert, Dr. Dewan was of the view that the argument of “creative freedom” in movies which depict smoking scenes, is not really tenable as smoking scenes give no real mileage to the movie but they do create a positive image of smoking as a habit, in the minds of thousands of people who watch these movies.

Some of the English daily newspapers which covered the press conference are: The Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, The Pioneer, The Tribune, PTI, and Garhwal Post. The Hindi dailies which covered the conference are: Dainik Jagran, Amar Ujala, Rashtriya Sahara, Nai Dunia, and others. ETV news also covered the World No Tobacco Day press conference.

At the press conference, Dr. Dewan was assisted by Anuj Gupta, our Delhi-based volunteer who reached Dehradun from Delhi early morning, and by our General Manager, Swami Madhavananda. Pooja Dogra, our other Delhi-based volunteer networked with the newspaper editors and reporters to ensure their presence at the press conference. The Indralok Hotel is thanked for providing the venue and refreshments free of charge.

INDIA, Rishikesh, May 28th, 2009
Ganga Prem Hospice site at Raiwala, Rishikesh
Shradha Cancer Care Trust has purchased 5 bighas ( one acre ) of land at Rai Wala village between the city of Haridwar and the town of Rishikesh.

Gangaji near to the Hospice site at Rai Wala, Rishikesh

The Ganga Prem Hospice site has an unbroken view of the Ganga which flows about 300 metres away from the land. The land is situated in a quiet rural area near to the village of Rai Wala. The vista of the Himalayan foothills and the unspoilt forests of the Rajaji National Park on the other side of the Ganga river give the site a wonderful feeling of spaciousness and peace.

The land was found about one year ago but it has taken all this time to negotiate and take the papers through all the government processes. We owe special thanks to our general manager, Madhavananda, SCCT Trustee, Mr Raghuvira Ghai and UK Trustee, Renu Gulati for all the work that they put in to find the right land and bring the purchase to a successful conclusion.

Ganga Prem Hospice land at Rai Wala, Rishikesh

In the next month we will start to build the approach road and boundary wall and then as donations come in we will start to build out in patient facility.

INDIA, Rishikesh, April 26th, 2009
April clinic 2009
Two new terminally-ill patients attended the Ganga Prem Hospice cancer clinic on 26th April.

Summer has firmly set in, in the Northern plains of India, and Rishikesh, the holy town by the Ganga is also seeing some very warm weather. The April cancer care clinic of the Ganga Prem Hospice saw patients come out for consultations despite the uncomfortable heat. There were twenty-seven patients, of which three were terminally-ill.

Apart form GPH’s long-time terminal patient, Madhu Rana, we had two new patients whose disease has advanced beyond cure. One patient, a man aged 45, living in Hardwar, is suffering from cancer of the Caecum and is in great pain. He has been put on Tab Morphine and was given some Fentanyl Patches for pain management by Dr. Dewan. The other patient, a lady aged 55, is a case of cancer of the breast with Bony Mets. This lady, Kamlesh Datta, seems to have such an indomitable spirit, courage and cheer that she stands out as an example to all of us. There was not a whimper of anxiety or fear coming from her. She kept saying, "I am ready to face anything... After all only the body perishes!!! I keep going!!" Her devoted son and husband looked more depressed and sad than the cheerful and vivacious patient!

Madhu Rana had been taken by the GPH home-care coordinator, Sarojini Murthy, to the Himalayan Institute Hospital in Dehradun for a blood transfusion. As a result of the transfusion, the patient’s haemoglobin count has improved slightly. Madhu’s urinary tract infection and symptoms of pain continue, which cause her much discomfort. Although Madhu could not make it to the clinic herself, her son was there to consult Dr. Dewan on what kind of care his mother could be given. One of our other patients, a sadhu, was also taken to the Himalayan Institute at the same time for a bronchioscopy. He has since been admitted at the hospital for treatment.

In all, the April clinic catered to a total of 27 patients. GPH also had an 8-year old child, who is a Thalessemia Major patient, come to the hospice with a treatment sponsorship request. GPH however could not help him financially even though the volunteers’ team was very sympathetic towards him. In the initial stages of the project, it is important that the hospice focuses on giving care and support to cancer patients, and deflecting from cancer care could mean dissipation of the small team’s energies and the hospice’s scant resources.

A light moment at the Rishikesh clinic

As well as Dr AK Dewan our two gynaecologists, Dr Rupali Dewan and Dr Rajesh Saxena were also present at the clinic to give consultations to female patients. After the clinic Dr. Dewan gave a short talk on palliative care to the volunteers from Rishikesh who have been helping Sarojini with the home visits.

INDIA, Haridwar, April 25th, 2009
GPH cancer and gynaecological camp in Haridwar
Dr AK Dewan, Dr (Mrs) Rupali Dewan and Madhavananda represented Ganga Prem Hospice at a special cancer consultation camp organized by the Haridwar Rotary Club at a 10-day long health camp in the city’s Mela Hospital.

On 25 April 2009, Dr Ajay Dewan attended to around 20 cancer patients at the camp, while the GPH gynaecologist, Dr Rupali Dewan, checked 30 patients for gynaecological problems.Dr Rupali Dewan advised female patients from all backgrounds on when to get a Pap Smear test done and how to conduct breast self-examination at regular intervals.

Dr ( Mrs) Rupali Dewan with patients and students

Dr. Dewan delivering the lecture on cancer

.The GPH oncologist also delivered a lecture on “Can we prevent cancer?” The lecture was attended by around 150 people who, in an interactive session, raised questions like “At what stage is cancer screening most useful?” and “Where should one go if one has cancer?” and so on.

Madhavananda, the Ganga Prem Hospice manager, was also present to assist the doctors in their work.

INDIA, Delhi, April 5th, 2009
Ganga Prem Hospice at Health Fair in Delhi
On Sunday April 5th Dr. Dewan and a group of our Delhi volunteers represented Ganga Prem Hospice at a health fair in central Delhi.

On 5 April 2009, Ganga Prem Hospice participated in a health fair organised in Central Delhi by ‘West-East Area Residents Welfare Association’. Doctors from several leading hospitals of Delhi (Escorts, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi Heart & Lung Institute) were present to talk to over 400 participants at the event.

Ganga Prem Hospice was represented by its Chairman, Dr Ajay Dewan, who gave a talk on the importance of hospice-care for terminally-ill patients. At the event, Dr. Dewan was supported by GPH Delhi volunteers, Meena Dawar, who is also the Secretary of the West-East Area Residents Welfare Association, Bharati Sharma, Raj Rani, Shailendra Arora and Anuj Gupta.

Dr. Dewan speaking at the Health Fair in Delhi

The day-long free health camp was open to all and Dr. Dewan was interviewed by PTC News on cancer and hospice care in India.

INDIA, Rishikesh, March 29th, 2009
March clinic 2009
High cancer patient turn-out at the March 2009 cancer clinic

The March 2009 Ganga Prem Hospice charitable cancer clinic was held on the 29th March at the Sardarni Nanki Devi Trust Charitable Dispensary in Rishikesh. This clinic saw a high turnout of cancer patients, as also patients who came for general medical consultations. The clinic was also special because apart from our senior oncologist, Dr Ajay Dewan, two gynaecologists, Dr (Mrs) Rupali Dewan from Delhi and Dr (Mrs) Saxena from Rishikesh were also present to attend to the female patients. The doctors did one Pap smear test as part of their investigations. Ganga Prem Hospice is happy to welcome Dr (Mrs) Saxena, a Rishikesh based gynaecologist, to the team and is grateful that the doctor will be providing her consultations to patients at the monthly cancer clinics regularly in the future.

The clinic gave consultation to 26 patients in all, 17 of whom were cancer patients. While many of these cancer patients had availed of GPH’s services before, three had come to GPH for the first time. One of GPH’s new patients is a 54-year old male, a sadhu, who has been diagnosed as suffering from lung cancer by GPH.

Dr. Dewan, Dr R. Dewan and the new sadhu patient

His cancer had so far gone undetected as he had been wrongly diagnosed and treated as suffering from tuberculosis. Dr. Dewan assessed that he needed a bronchioscopy. It is an expensive test but as the sadhu is without any financial resources of his own, GPH will sponser it so that the stage of his illness and his future treatment can be ascertained correctly.

One of GPH’s terminally ill cancer patients (TICP), Madhu Rana’s haemoglobin level has become worryingly low. She gathered enough strength to come to the clinic to consult Dr. Dewan even though the doctors are happy to offer her home care visits.

Madhu and her son Anil’s worries have become lighter this month when one of Ganga Prem Hospice’s volunteers, Mrs Gita Kukreti, promised to pay their monthly room rent as long as Madhu is still alive. As Anil is the only family member and needs to care for Madhu full time he has not been able to work for their living and paying the rent had become a great burden and worry for them.

Anil Rana and his mother Madhu at the cancer clinic

After the consultations with patients, Dr. Dewan held a meeting with the GPH volunteers, training them on how patients could be served best during the home care visits. He reiterated that communication skills were important to create a dialogue with patients and the emphasis should be on making the patient comfortable by doing what the patient feels he needs rather than what the palliative care worker thinks is best for the patient.

The March cancer clinic was also attended by a special guest of the hospice: India Gooderham, a trained physiotherapist from the UK, who will be offering her services to GPH cancer patients in the coming months. The hospice team extended a warm welcome to her.

Inban from Israel is also thanked for her kind service of attending the clinic and taking photos of the proceedings for the Ganga Prem Hospice files.