A hospital on the southern fringes of Calcutta has recently started a palliative care programme for patients with end-stage liver disease.

A team of doctors, nurses, and counsellors will visit the patient’s home to deliver the services.

The Indian Institute of Liver and Digestive Sciences — a not-for-profit hospital in Sonarpur— launched the programme named Sparsh.

People with end-stage liver disease have to visit hospitals multiple times to drain the
fluid accumulating in their abdomen.

The procedure provides relief for a few weeks, but the fluid accumulates again, and the same procedure has to be repeated after intervals.

Coming to the hospital every time is both a costly affair and physically distressing for the patients, many of whom are also elderly people.

The patients often lose the strength or the will to visit the hospital, more so because the disease has reached an incurable stage, said doctors.

Providing care at their homes will cut down the hassle of travelling several kilometres to reach the hospital and also give the person a feeling of wellness, said Abhijit Chowdhury, chief patron of the Liver Foundation, West Bengal, which runs the Indian Institute of Liver and Digestive Sciences.

“We are providing the services for free. Technological advancements in the field of medicine are somehow taking away the benefits of a healing touch, and through palliative care, we want to provide that touch to patients also,” said Chowdhury, a hepatologist.

The hospital has a target of reaching out to patients within 30km radius of its Sonarpur premises.

Chowdhury was part of a three-member team that reached the Howrah home of Himangsu Majumdar, 80, a retired school teacher, who had visited the hospital over 40 times in the last one year to drain out the fluid accumulating in his abdomen.

“We received a SOS call from his son that his father was having problems. We decided that we should not ask this man to come over to our hospital. Instead we went there,” said Chowdhury.

Bappaditya Majumdar, Himangsu’s son, said his father was immensely happy to see the medical team at his home.

“He was overjoyed. The fluid was removed, and he was feeling better,” said Bappaditya.

Doctors said a key objective of palliative care was also to create a feeling of happiness and wellness in the patient.

“The disease is incurable, so we need to keep the person happy and help him lead a good quality of life. The family also plays an important role. They must create a positive feeling at home. In palliative care, we also have to educate the family about their role,” said a doctor.

The Sonarpur hospital already has over 60 patients enrolled.

The hospital has created a dedicated WhatsApp number and is also using mobile application as a platform to provide the services.

“Doctors have to lead the patient to this programme. When the doctor realises that the patient has reached an end-stage liver disease and should be receiving palliative care, they can guide the patient to us. The patient may not be under treatment at our hospital. They can come from other hospitals also,” said Partha Sarathi Mukherjee, secretary of the Liver Foundation.

Chowdhury said the services would be provided free of cost.

“A dedicated team of healthcare professionals will be present 24x7 to take calls from patients or their families and guide them about an emergency response,” said Chowdhury.