Mumbai: In a significant step towards providing compassionate care for patients with serious and long-term illnesses, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched a free ‘Palliative Care’ outpatient department at Dr. R. N. Cooper Municipal General Hospital in Juhu.
This is the first dedicated palliative care OPD set up by the BMC in the Western suburbs, aimed at providing relief and support to adult patients suffering from cancer, diabetes, and other chronic or life-threatening conditions.
The new facility will operate every Monday and Thursday from 1 pm to 3 pm, offering specialised medical services completely free of cost to around 50 patients daily. A dedicated team of doctors, nurses, and counsellors will not only treat patients at the hospital but will also conduct home visits for follow-up care after discharge.
The palliative care unit was inaugurated in the presence of Dr. Sudhir Medhekar. He said the service aims to relieve patients’ pain and ease disease-related symptoms, while also providing emotional, social, and spiritual support. He appealed to citizens in need to make use of the facility.
Patients can be referred by private or public hospitals and clinics, or they can directly enrol for care. According to the hospital, around 5–10% of patients with long-term conditions will benefit from regular specialised consultations through this service. The initiative is being implemented with the support of the Romila Palliative Care Foundation.
