The Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute

Services :

Facilities Available: Palliative Medicine department has facility for In-patient service, Out-patient Service, Home care service and Hospice care service.

Scope of Activity:

Clinical Activities: Department of Palliative Medicine is established in October 2010. Pain management and Palliative care are essential components of comprehensive cancer care. Department of palliative Medicine, GCRI is highly structured department for delivery of care to patient with cancer from diagnosis to death and then into bereavement care for the family. It is an interdisciplinary, multi-dimensional team, comprising doctors, nurses, counsellor, physiotherapist, nutritionist, social workers, and volunteers.

Outpatient Services:

Pain & other symptom management
OPD based procedure.
Counseling for the psychological issues of patients and caregivers, prognostication, breaking bad news, solving collusion,
Dietitian services
Care of nursing issues

In-Patient Services:

Patients with severe and uncontrolled symptoms are admitted for better symptom management.
Interventional pain Management & Palliative procedures
Palliative sedation/End-of-life Care
Generalized nursing care.
Counselor service.
Dietitian service

Homecare service: The services are provided to patients suffering from cancer those who are home bound, to provide holistic care and improve the quality of patient’s life.
The criteria for selection of patients for home care service are:

Who are registered with GCRI
Residing within city of Ahmadabad
Having greater symptoms burden
A qualified doctor, a nurse & medical social worker / counsellor visit at home to work towards improvement of quality of life at home and provide comfort care to patient and his family for clinical assessment, symptomatic treatment and Nursing care.
For health education & emotional support to patients and family members.
Knowledge to caregivers about preparation of home based mouth wash, Vaseline gauge and bed sore dressing ointment etc.

Homecare Service: The service is provided to patients suffering from cancer having greater symptoms burden. And those who are home bound, to provide holistic care and improve the quality of patient’s life. Team of a qualified doctor, a nurse & medical social worker / counsellor visit:

for clinical assessment, symptomatic treatment and Nursing care at home to work towards improvement of quality of life and provide comfort care to patient and his family.
For health education & emotional support to patients and family members.
Give knowledge to caregivers about preparation of home-based mouth wash, Vaseline gauge and bed sore dressing ointment etc.

The criteria for selection of patients for home care service are:

Who are registered with GCRI
Residing within city of Ahmadabad
Having greater symptoms burden

Hospice service: We also have facility to admit patient with life limiting disease to hospice centre to give supportive care to patients and to make them comfortable and free of pain, so that they live each day as fully as possible.

Academic Activity & Research activity: MD Palliative Medicine

Strength / Workload:

OPD: (Approximately) 80 to 120/daily, >2000/Monthly, >20,000/Yearly
IPD: Approx. 200- 250/ Month

Area of Interest: Clinical care of patient

Academic activity & Research activity

Any other: The following Training Courses in Pain and Palliative Care are conducted by the department.

Courses run by Indian Association of Palliative Care

(A) Essentials of Palliative Care “Part A”– A basic course for doctors & Nurses

It is a distant learning course
Duration of course 8 weeks
Contact session – 3 days
Training schedule – twice in a year

(B) Essentials of Palliative Care “Part B” –A Hands on training in palliative care for doctors and nurses. This can be done only on completion of Essentials of Palliative Care “Part A”. One can become Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP), and can prescribe, procure, store & dispense morphine officially after this course. One has to attend 10 full days in the department of Palliative Medicine, Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute, Ahmedabad. He/she has to maintain a log book, which will be submitted to IAPC Academic cell and will be issues certificate of training.
2. Training on Medical use of Essential Narcotic Drugs

Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute is an apex institute for training. It is a 3-days training, consisting of Total 20 hours - 8 hours of Theory and 12 hours of Practical Training on pain management and palliative care

3. Training on Basic palliative care to medical officer and Nursing staff as a part of National Program for Palliative Care. It is a three-day training on basic palliative care which is organise every year by the State Palliative Care Cell, Gujarat at Gujarat Cancer Research Institute, Ahmedabad and Community Oncology Centre, Ahmedabad.

Doctors & Nursing staff at patient's home for homebased palliative care

Training - “Certificate course on Essential of Palliative Care” at GCRI