NEWS ARCHIVE

U.S.A., Fairfield, Iowa, October 26th, 2011
Diwali Om Pumpkins sold in aid of GPH
At Divali Karen Koerber sold pumpkin lanterns with Om carved on them in aid of GPH at the Farmers' Market in Fairfield, Iowa.

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INDIA, Rishikesh, October 19th, 2011
Dr Saxena returns from palliative care training
GPH's new full time doctor in Rishikesh returned home from his palliative care training in Trivendrum just in time for Divali celebrations.

The Ganga Prem Hospice general physician Dr Rajiv Kumar Saxena underwent an intensive six-week training course in pain management and palliative care at Pallium India's Trivendrum Institute of Palliative Sciences in Kerala in September and October 2011.

With theoretical seminars, practical training, home visits and mock sessions, the medical training provided an all round view of how to manage pain symptoms, to consider the socio-economic condition of the patient and to communicate effectively with the patient and his family. Dr Saxena also observed how much of a difference dedicated volunteers can make in providing relief to patients.

Dr Saxena on a home care visit before his training

"We have to make the Ganga Prem Hospice palliative care programme have all the aspects of care that Palium India provides," says Dr Rajiv Saxena who has come back with new ideas and enthusiasm after the six-week training. Not only did the doctor benefit professionally from the training, he also liked the setting, the institute itself and the city. "Trivendrum as a city has a temperament which is very compatible with my own," says the doctor.

Dr Saxena with a patient at a cancer clinic

One of the focal points of the training was pain management through cost-effective analgesics and opioids such as morphine, which would make pain relief available to even poor patients. Facilitating morphine availability for all patients who need it is a key objective of Pallium India's work. Ganga Prem Hospice is lucky in that it is supported by many pharmaceutical companies who provided Tramadol free of charge for our patients.

The Ganga Prem Hospice doctor was given a scholarship for the training by Pallium India which covered all costs of the programme, including travel, room and board.

Dr Saxena is the second member of the Ganga Prem Hospice team to have trained with Pallium India. In 2010 the Hospice nurse, Sicily Sebastion, had also undergone the six-week training. "I will be in constant communication with the team members of Pallium India," says Dr Saxena.

U.K., London, October 8th and 22nd, 2011
Two fundraisers in the U.K.
Supporters of Ganga Prem Hospice in the U.K. held two fundraisers during October 2011, which raised over £1,300 for the Hospice.

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INDIA, Rishikesh, September 25th, 2011
September clinic 2011
A record number of 125 patients were seen by two doctors at the Ganga Prem Hospice monthly cancer clinic in Rishikesh on the 25th of September.

Preventive oncology went hand in hand with screening, consultations and palliative care. Among the forty-three cancer patients seen at the clinic, eleven were found to be terminally ill, some of whom had open malignant tumours.

Surgical oncologist Dr AK Dewan predominantly saw cancer patients, while gynaecological and non-cancer patients were seen by senior gynaecologist, Dr Rupali Dewan, who had several patients wanting to get their symptoms checked for cancer. The clinic operations were sponsored by SEWA-THDC, a Rishikesh-based organisation which is keen to take cancer care to remote regions of the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

Dr Dewan discusses a patient's case with her son

The twenty different cancers seen were: bladder, buccal mucosa, brain, breast, leukaemia, giant cell tumour, larynx, lung, multiple myeloma, oesophagus, ovary, prostate, renal cell carcinoma , rectum, squamous cell carcinoma, thyroid, tongue, tonsil, and uterus.

Widespread publicity brought patients from far and wide: Tehri, Muradabad, Dhampur, Roorkee, Muzaffarnagar and Kotdwar, as well as Rishikesh, Haridwar and Dehradun.

Volunteers, including a qualified nurse, played a crucial role at the very busy clinic. Their services included managing the registration desk, calling in patients, guiding them to the doctors, counsellor and dispensary, etc.

INDIA, Delhi, September 20th, 2011
Slow Train to India reaches India Gate
The epic journey of Sanjay Sharma and his companions from Nottingham, U.K. to Delhi, India in an auto-rickshaw named Flying Rani was successfully concluded as the tuk-tuk came to a halt at India Gate amidst a rousing welcome from relatives, GPH volunteers and the media.

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INDIA, Gohri Maphi, September 1st, 2011
Soil testing at the Ganga Prem Hospice site
Soil testing was carried out at the GPH site by a professional firm from Roorkee to provide the structural engineer with all the information he needs to ensure that the Hospice's foundations will be sound.

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INDIA, Rishikesh, August 29th, 2011
August clinic 2011
A large number of cancer patients, predominantly oral cancer patients, attended the August cancer clinic in Rishikesh.

With 57% of the total number of 70 patients seen at the Ganga Prem Hospice August 2011 clinic being cancer patients, and 10 of them being terminally ill, the clinic was a demanding one for the Hospice medical team.

There was some good news as one breast cancer patient had responded so well to treatment that she is now a candidate for curative surgery.

The nurse sets up an IV drip for a seriously ill patient

There was also a lot of sadness as one terminally ill home care gall bladder cancer patient's condition was very serious. She was brought to the clinic in a semi-conscious state and was given an IV drip to control her dehydration. She died eighteen hours later at her home. The Ganga Prem Hospice oncologist suspected that the cancer had metastasised to her brain due to which she had not been speaking for the last twenty-four hours.

Some advanced cancer patients were in visible discomfort and pain. An elderly lady with multiple myeloma who was lying on a clinic bed writhing in pain, cried out when she saw Dr Dewan, "Doctor saab! Davai! Davai! (Medicine! Medicine!)"

Even the patients who were suspected of having cancer gave the oncologist reason to worry. A woman who was being treated for tuberculosis was brought to the clinic by her family for the fist time. Dr Dewan suspected that her condition was lung cancer and not tuberculosis, as previously diagnosed elsewhere.

Another patient had a haemoglobin count of 4 along with other symptoms. Dr Dewan phoned medical oncologists in Delhi to narrate his test reports to them and seek their advice on whether this could be a case of leukaemia (CML) and not some other condition.

At the Ganga Prem Hospice clinic there were cancer patients who came for the first time as well as those who were old time patients.

Sarojini Murthy spent a lot of time counselling cancer patients, whose emotional stress was evident. Ganga Prem Hospice general physician Dr Rajiv Saxena gave consultations to non-cancer patients at the clinic for the first time since he joined the Hospice team earlier in the month.

Volunteers contributed to the clinic operations substantially, calling in patients, helping wheelchair bound patients, giving out drinking water and helping with the registration process. A volunteer nurse who had come to the Hospice clinic for the first time also assisted the doctors.

Patients were given foot massages with essential oils by the Hospice masseuse Jamuna. The neighbouring restaurant, Rajasthan Misthan Bhandara, distributed tea and sweets to patients and volunteers while Annapurna Rasoi provided snacks for the team as usual.

INDIA, Haridwar, August 27th, 2011
Cancer screening camp in Haridwar
One hundred and twenty three patients were screened by three oncologists and a physician at the Haridwar camp in August.

Ganga Prem Hospice medical director Dr AK Dewan and surgical oncologists from Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi, Dr Vivek Gupta and Dr Rajinder Kaur had a busy day screening patients. The female patients had the benefit of getting gynaecological examinations from Dr Kaur. The GPH general physician, Dr Rajiv Saxena, assisted the oncologists by giving consultations to some of the non cancer patients.

With twelve patients suspected of having cancer, Ganga Prem Hospice counsellor Sarojini Murthy advised patients about where to go for further diagnostic tests, whether in Haridwar or at the cancer centre in Dehradun.

Volunteer Bhagwati Kala of Rishikesh dispensed medicines whereas Jitendra Bisht from Haridwar did the record-keeping work. Ganga Prem Hospice nurse Sicily Sebastion was with Dr Rajinder Kaur helping with the examinations and dressing some of the patients' cancerous wounds. Elderly patients especially benefited from the consultations and advice given at the screening camp.

Mrs Sebastion prepares to dress a patient's wound

The Rotary Club of Ranipur members pitched in ably, making arrangements for the venue: the District Mela Hospital, clinic operations and calling of the patients.

The Hospice team will be giving home care to the terminally ill patients found at the camp in Haridwar, as well as follow up with the suspected cancer patients to ensure that patients do not skip the very important step of getting the diagnostic tests done to find out of if they do suffer from cancer.

INDIA, Ahmedabad, August 10th, 2011
Ganga Prem Hospice design finalized
GPH architect Prof. Yatin Pandya has finalized the GPH architectural design after making modifications to comply with the Haridwar bylaws. 3D renderings of 30-bed Hospice have been made available for your perusal.

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INDIA, Rishikesh, July 31st, 2011
July clinic 2011
The July 2011 cancer clinic of Ganga Prem Hospice had three doctors see 69 patients over an unusually long period of time. Patients with rare and advanced malignancies, and those who had challenging financial and familial problems made the mood at the clinic somewhat sombre.

Patients waiting to see the doctors

A majority (56%) of the 69 patients seen either had cancer (35), were terminally ill (13), or were suspected of having cancer (3). The 19 different kinds of cancers seen at the clinic included rare cases such as metastatic melanoma and central nervous system lymphoma, as well as advanced gall bladder and liver cancers. There were also elderly cancer patients who had no family support and who had been left to fend for themselves.

Ganga Prem Hospice surgical oncologist Dr AK Dewan, gynaeclogists Dr Rupali Dewan and Dr Rajesh Saxena and ayurvedacharya Dr JP Rathi attended to patients. All cancer patients were referred to the oncologist while non-cancer patients as well as those with general gynaecological problems were seen by the two female doctors. Some lady cancer patients were also seen by the gynaecologists who then consulted with the oncologist regarding the case. Ayurvedacharya Dr Rathi pitched in with his supportive role as always, also giving cancer patients tips on exercises which could maintain their mobility and wellness.

Today's clinic saw a large number of malignancies," said the Ganga Prem Hospice oncologist, Dr AK Dewan. The doctor spent a lot of time with the patients and their families, advising them about the future course of their treatment. In at least two cases of advanced cancer Dr Dewan advised the family members that surgery was to be strictly avoided. For certain oral cancer patients who could still recover with immediate intervention but who were hesitant to go for surgery, the oncologist had to suggest other types of treatment to contain the disease.

Some situations at the clinic were very poignant, like that of a 72-year old man with prostate cancer. With a bent spine, frail body and having been left by his daughter to live alone in an ashram in Rishikesh, the Hospice team members were moved by the elderly patient's condition. The patient will be taken to the cancer hospital in Jolly Grant for further investigation.

The elderly patient with volunteer nurse Akwant Kaur

Volunteers do a variety of support work
New as well as long-time volunteers joined in to assist with the Ganga Prem Hospice July cancer clinic. Ruchika Shukla, a counsellor from Mumbai, who was in Rishikesh to do voluntary work with the GPH home care team, kept records of prescriptions at the clinic. Jitendra Bisht, a volunteer from Haridwar who had assisted with the Hospice health camp in 2010, was happy to volunteer again. Acts of spontaneous help were heart-warming to see. When a prostate cancer patient was being taken out of the Hospice ambulance, a fruit vendor who had his cart next to the clinic gate helped seat the patient on the wheelchair.

Panchanan Pandey, who usually does volunteer work with his motorbike, helped in the clinic for the first time and did a wonderful job of ushering the patients in to see the doctors. Teenage volunteer Panshula Rai was happy to do foot massages for patients along with the Hospice masseuse Jamuna. Sarojini Murthy, the Ganga Prem Hospice palliative care counsellor, worked the longest hours speaking to each cancer patient in detail and assessing who needed what kind of follow-up support.

Six and a half hours of clinic work was wrapped up with the administration team quickly collating data of the 31st July cancer clinic and marking out which new terminally ill patients needed home visits during the coming week.

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.