Odisha Chief Minister on 7th November launched Palliative Care Programme in all the district headquarter hospitals of the state.

The District Palliative Care Programme (DPCP) facility will be available in all district headquarter hospitals and Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela Government Hospital. "Palliative Care Programme will play a significant role in realisation of the motto of our government 'Sustha Odisha, Sukhi Odisha (Healthy Odisha, Happy Odisha)," he fsaid at the launch of the DPCP at Lok Seva Bhawan through video conferencing with district collectors and Chief District Medical Officers (CDMOs).

Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness.

Under the programme, several in-patient services will be provided. The in-patient service includes free specialist consultation, training to caregiver, free drugs and consumables, free physiotherapy counselling, spiritual healing, emergency care service, nutrition support and patient follow up.

The out-patient service will include regular consultation by trained medical staff (primary, secondary and tertiary health care service), training to caregivers, free drugs and consumables, free physiotherapy service counselling to patients and family, referral to higher health facilities. "It has been decided to start home-based palliative care in Nabarangpur district within the next two months, which will be scaled up to all the districts. Subsequently, palliative care service will be available for terminally ill patients suffering from chronic kidney diseases, stroke, cardiovascular disease, hemiplegia, paralysis, HIV/AIDS," he said

Under the Palliative Care Programme, a six-bed palliative care unit will be established in each district headquarters hospitals to provide facility-based palliative care service. Ten districts have already been provided with Rs 10.25 lakh each for infrastructure development, an official said. So far, 39 medical officers and 42 staff nurses have already been trained in palliative care who will provide the service in 30 district headquarters hospitals, Capital Hospital and Rourkela Government Hospital, the official said.

In May, 2017, the chief minister had launched the District Cancer Care Programme under which more than 30,000 cancer patients have received consultation and 14,000 patients have received chemotherapy cycles in District Day Care Cancer Chemotherapy Centres. The state government has been providing 86 types of anti-cancer drugs free of cost and all investigations are being provided free of cost to all cancer patients under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, the official added.