“One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love.”
Sophocles

Sophocles Ageing gracefully in all joy and with a sense of fulfillment is perhaps the one true wish of every human being on earth. One rightly deserves to spend the final days of one’s life with the same dignity that accompanied them during their prime years. Even more poignant is the pain and suffering that is a miserable companion of those struck by cancer or terminal illnesses. As an act of honor and recognition, our March issue discusses one of the least talked about yet largely significant affair in this age and time, palliative care.

Our cover story delves into the current landscape of palliative care in the country, how it is making lives more meaningful and peaceful, its scope and possible areas of improvement. Hyderabad’s Sparsh Hospice is a non-profit organization that is doing everything in its might to create a happier place for the old and the terminally ill.

The Institute of Palliative Medicine, Kozhikode, has set an example for the world through its ‘Kerala model’ of palliative care. Through its initiatives, India Home Health Care helps make hospice and palliative care an accessible and affordable reality. This issue also looks at a thoughtful innovation—My Special Aflac Duck—that is giving children with cancer a faithful companion to converse and share emotions with.

We hope this issue puts a smile on your face and lets you see hope glinting from the other side of pain and suffering.

Dr Ulhas Ganu
Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]