We once again reach out to you on this World Hospice & Palliative Care Day to express our concern, reiterate our commitment and ask for your support.

Our concern is that access to palliative care, so essential to relieve serious health related suffering, still continues to elude the vast majority, especially the marginalised and destitute. If there is one fact that this pandemic has drawn attention to it has been that the vast majority of those who lost their lives all over the world belonged to the ranks of the elderly, the disadvantaged and the underserved. If health care is not free and universal it tends to favour those who have the means to pay for it out of pocket and who can afford private care. A democratic and ethical society cannot tolerate this.

This is why the theme for this year’s World Hospice & Palliative Care Day is “Leave No One Behind –Equity in Access to Palliative Care’. It echoes our determination to bring palliative care services where ever they are most needed. CanSupport is already providing home based palliative care in those districts in our Northern states that have recorded the highest incidence of cancer. Our commitment is to continue to do so.

You can help us by supporting us through donations and grants. Covid-19 has put an additional strain on our resources as we meet the increased needs of our patients for basics like food rations and equip our teams with personal protective equipment and masks. We appeal to you to continue to contribute so that we can jointly do our bit to avert a human catastrophe and mitigate the pain of those who are struggling to find dignity and meaning in these challenging times.

With warm regards,
Harmala Gupta

Pic Credit: WHPCA Toolkit