Director Message​

Palliative care (pronounced pal-lee-uh-tiv) is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness. This type of care is focused on relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative care is provided by a specially-trained team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.

HRUDAYA Palliative Care Trust (Mar James Pazhayattil Memorial Hrudaya Palliative Care & Hospice) is a charitable project established by the Diocese of Irinjalakuda in the memory of Late Mar James Pazhayattil, the first Bishop of the Diocese. It was inaugurated on 10th September 2016. The official launching of palliative care services was done on 9th September 2017 in connection with the Ruby Jubilee of the Diocese.

The main objective of HRUDAYA Palliative Care is to give specialized medical and nursing care for people with life-limiting illnesses.  The care that we give focuses to improve the quality of life of patients and their families through the prevention and  relief of their suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual. We provide these services free of cost to all patients in need of care, irrespective of caste and creed.

HRUDAYA Palliative Care team which consists of medical doctors, nurses, drivers, trained volunteers and counselors, operates from four different regions of the diocese, viz. Chalakudy, Irinjalakuda, Kodakara and Mala. The teams make regular home visits and give care to patients who are initially identified and referred to the HRUDAYA regional centers by the volunteers of the local Hrudaya palliative care units. The teams also attend to the emergency situations of the patients and support to shift patients to hospitals if necessary. Free physiotherapy services are provided in the regional centers. Medical equipments and accessories like wheel chairs, walkers, airbeds, oxygen concentrators etc are also given to patients according to their needs.

The services rendered by HRUDAYA Pallaitive Care are free of cost. But at the same time, about Rs. 300,000/- are spent per month for home care visits, medicines, surgical items and related services. It is the generous donations made by good-minded people that support us to carry out our services. I invite you also to be part of this selfless service to ease the pain of the suffering people through your valuable prayers and generous donations.