The Church's health care centres in the country will strive to create around 300 Palliative Care Centres in the next three years.

Posted on May 1, 2016 (UCAN). 

Aiming to launch some 300 care centres for the terminally ill people across India in the next three years, the Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI) opened its first such palliative care centre–Pratyasha–in Hyderabad this week.
Raymond Peter, a senior officer of the Telangana state opened the centre along with a woman patient, Palugula Andalu, by cutting the ribbon.
Hinting at inadequate number of care centres for terminally ill people, Peter said palliative care “is the need of the hour. Centres rendering palliative care needs to be set up adequately in the country so that the excruciating pain suffered by people at the end-stage-of-life can be allayed and they can be helped to die with dignity and peace,” he said.
Archbishop Prakash Mallavarapu of Vishakhapatnam, ecclesiastical advisor to CHAI, presided over the function.
Father Tomi Thomas, the CHAI director general, said the umbrella organisation of the Church's health care centres in the country will strive to create around 300 Palliative Care Centres in the next three years.
Archbishop Mallavarapu stressed the need for compassion to be shown to people suffering from terminal diseases and “Pratyasha” makes the beginning of Palliative care movement in the country.
Doctor Gayatri Palat of Regional Cancer Centre in Hyderabad spoke about the urgent need to focus on developing Palliative care in the country.
“It is sad to say that compared to other countries, India lacks behind in giving compassionate care to terminally ill people. CHAI has taken a great step forward in starting this centre. It can go a long way in allaying the pain suffered from terminal illness,” she said lauding th