Featured team profile

Sarojini Murthy Palliative Care Coordinator Ganga Prem Hospice

Sarojini Murthy

Sarojini Murthy’s life and work have been devoted to offering services to people who are in distress. From her early years at the Shivananda Ashram charity hospital in Rishikesh, to her present work as a palliative care coordinator for Ganga Prem Hospice, Sarojini has been a pillar of strength for hundreds of patients who have been under her care. The patients at the Ganga Prem Hospice clinic are met each month by the welcoming smile of Sarojini as she sits at the registration desk and takes down patients’ details before sending them in to consult with the doctors. After consultation Sarojini again lovingly explains the doctors’ advice to them. Despite being very busy at the registration desk, Sarojini is known to listen carefully to each patient’s problems and fears and to give them encouragement and support.

“My work is about going through patients’ suffering with them”, says Sarojini, who has cared for many of GPH’s terminally-ill patients and has helped them medically, emotionally, and spiritually. Sarojini has also accompanied cancer patients to the hospital for tests and treatment. One of GPH’s terminally ill patients, Madhu Rana, in her last days, did not recognise her family members and friends but she recognised Sarojini, which is sufficient testimony for the consistent love and support which she extends to the patients in her care.

Sarojini attributes her natural instinct for caring, to her very early years when she was chosen by her uncle, Swami Chidananda ji, the former President of the Divine Life Society, to be the one among his nephews and nieces, who would dedicate her life to service. During her 22 years at the Shivananda Ashram, Sarojini worked in various capacities at the ashram’s temple and library but principally she worked at the hospital. Usually, she would handle the out-patient department and on other occasions, assist in minor surgeries which were performed in the hospital’s operation theatre.

A typical day in Sarojini Murthy’s life involves caring for her patients, her elderly mother and brother, and lending a helping hand to the neighbours. She regularly devotes time in the morning to her meditation and sadhana and during the evenings, she goes down to the river Ganga for evening prayers. For both patients and staff, Sarojini is undoubtedly a trusted and much loved member of the Ganga Prem Hospice team.