In observance of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on October 11, the Tata Memorial Center announced a certificate course.

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This is first of its kind in India, especially when there is no guidelines regarding palliative care.

Palliative care is a specialised medical care for people with serious illnesses. The aim is to provide relief to patients from any kind of pain they suffer in their final days. It also intents to improve the quality of life for both the patient and the family.

"Access to palliative care is a human right and is of paramount importance for patients on whom all possible treatments have not yield any favourable results," said Dr Navin Salins from palliative care medicine, Tata Memorial Hospital.

According to Dr Salins, this area or subject has not received the importance and the attention it should ideally get. Humans should be free from pain or distress for a dignified life and death.

Due to unavailable of a formal policy on palliative care and end of life care, the Indian Association of Palliative Care as well as the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine, intends to present a memorandum for having a pan-India policy on the subject. This paper would be submitted to the union and state governments, apart from the Medical Council of India and non-profit organisations working in this field.