Kochi Palliative Care Project Grinds to a Halt

The palliative care project operated by the Kochi corporation is currently facing a significant crisis. A critical component, the project implementation officer, has been absent since August 5th, following the transfer of the Fort Kochi taluk hospital superintendent who held the position. This leadership vacuum has brought essential services to a standstill.

Services that were routinely provided included patient treatment, nursing care, medicine administration, and wound dressing. The project also supplied necessary medical equipment, such as oxygen concentrators. These vital functions have been interrupted, impacting the 22,802 individuals registered for palliative care within the corporation's limits.

While the state government has recently released the first installment of funds for the sector, these funds cannot be utilized without an appointed implementation officer. Corporation health committee chairperson Seena Gokulan stated that issues related to salary disbursal for staff have been resolved using the corporation's own funds, though the absence of the project implementation officer was not brought to her attention.