Palliative Care
Jiv Daya Foundation has identified palliative care (the care of patients whose conditions are nonresponsive to curative treatment) and pain management as significant areas of need for future projects. In India, the combination of poverty, population density, and lack of opioid availability, as well as a limited national policy, has created a significant shortage of care in relation to high numbers of patients. In fact, out of 1.6 million Indians that endure cancer-related pain each year, only an estimated 0.4% receive regular relief in the form of legal opioid drugs. Jiv Daya Foundation therefore desires to bring specialized end of life treatment and pain care to a wider geographic area. Through designing an Adult Cancer Registry database to be made available at all of our partner sites, we hope to measure and assess the current state of pain management, and from there instigate a lasting impact on the landscape of Indian palliative care.
Scientific Advisory Board Members
Dr. Shalini Dalal
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Care Center, Houston, TX
Dr. Kirti Jain
Ashland Bellefonte Cancer Center, Ashland, KY
Dr. Sewa Legha
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Dr. Suresh Reddy
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Care Center, Houston, TX
Key Statistics
It is estimated that of the population worldwide in need of palliative care, only 8% actually receive it
Services in India are usually concentrated in large cities or at regional cancer centers, although 7.5 million Indians live in rural areas.
19 out of 28 Indian states show no evidence of having any kind of palliative care provision
