Sundar Raj is a 72-year-old person who grabs everyone’s attention as he comes riding a classic bullet bike at that age. But this was not the way he was a few years ago as he was suffering from cancer in his 4th stage. His health condition was so bad that he could hardly walk or eat anything and his wife held his hand and supported him to move across. Life was almost at an end with no hope.

He was referred to Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement’s (SVYM) Palliative Care Programme two years ago and the team visited him regularly, gave him necessary care and support he needed which has helped him to recover tremendously. Today he proudly says that all these years the Palliative Care team used to visit him to check his health but today he is visiting them himself riding on his classic bullet bike. He is a true inspiration for many such individuals battling between life and death. Now Sundar Raj is a champion demonstrating “My Care, My Right”, the theme for World Hospice and Palliative Care Day for the year 2019.

October 12 was observed as World Hospice and Palliative Care Day across the globe and this year’s theme was Palliative Care: It’s “My Care, My Right”. This is an effort to amplify the need of Palliative Care in the community and this time with a new approach by the Palliative Care patients themselves raising their voice for support for their good health and well-being and not just for help.

Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement’s Palliative Care Programme had organised a Jatha in Mysuru on 12th October to create awareness about the need for Palliative Care in the community. The event was flagged off by Dr. B. Basavaraj, District Surgeon, ED Hospital, Mysuru. The Jatha started from ED Hospital went through Sanjeevini Circle, Kumbarakoppal and ended in PKTB and CD Hospital campus on KRS Main Road.

Nearly 200 individuals participated in the event with students from MMC&RI, Nataraja Nursing School, Mahajana College, Seshadripuram College, Vidya Vikas College and staff from ED Hospital and WPHCP also participated in the Jatha. The stage event was organised at Kuvempu Sabhangana in                                               PKTB campus.

Dr. R. Srinivasa Murthy, former professor of Psychiatry at NIMHANS, who was one of the chief guests, said that being humane is the essence for reducing the sufferings of the people with life limiting illness. 

Dr. Virupaksha, Medical Superintendent, PKTB and CD Hospital was another guest of honour,  who is consistently supporting SVYM’s Palliative Care Programme ever since its collaboration with MMC&RI in setting up the 16-bed Palliative Care Centre in PKTB Campus.

Ramakrishna Mudre, Honorary Director of SVYM’s Palliative Care, said that Palliative Care is one of the best examples of “Shiva Jnane Jeeva Seva” that is “Serving God in Man”, which is one of the important spiritual aspect to be experienced through Palliative Care.

 Dr. G.S. Kumar, CEO of SVYM in his presidential address gave a call to all the youngsters and the participants not to just listen and go back to daily routine but to commit themselves to invest in a healthy lifestyle, to create awareness about Palliative Care and provide a platform for individuals from the marginalised community to access necessary care and strengthen the support system in the society to an extent that we don’t have to ask for our right and to make the world a better place to live.

For more information on Palliative Care Programme contact Ramakrishna Mudre, Hon. Director,  on Mob:  9886379529 or email: [email protected] or Dr. S.P. Vibha, Technical Lead, Palliative Care Programme, SVYM on Mob: 9449893826 or email: [email protected].