The University of Kerala will soon institute Student Palliative clubs in its affiliated colleges as part of enhancing its community outreach activities.
Under the programme, college students will tend to terminally ill patients and those suffering from acute illness and mental agony. Besides popularising palliative care among the student community, the palliative clubs will be entrusted with assisting in the rehabilitation of patients and participating in other palliative care activities within communities.
Students’ unions
The university’s National Service Scheme (NSS) unit will undertake the project implementation and supervision, while the Department of Students Services has been tasked with ensuring the involvement of students’ unions in each colleges. Palliative clubs will comprise 25 students, among which 15 will be selected from among NSS volunteers and the rest from college unions.
Advisory committees consisting of the Principals of the colleges as chairman will also be constituted to advise and monitor the clubs’ activities.
The panels will also consist of the NSS programme officer and volunteer secretary, college union chairman, and general secretary as its members.
Training
The palliative volunteers will be imparted training by the Centre for Agroecology and Public Health Centre that functions under the Department of Economics at the varsity.
Besides, a two-day residential training will be organised on the university premises in October in association with Pallium India, a pioneer in palliative care in the country.
Around 250 volunteers will be selected from across colleges and imparted training in the initial phase.
Formal launch
While the project had been formally launched by Youth Affairs Minister E.P. Jayarajan in June, the Syndicate recently gave final shape to the novel initiative and allocated ₹10 lakh for setting the project into motion and meeting its initial expenditure on the basis of a proposal raised by Finance standing committee convener K.H. Babujan.
Shaji A., programme coordinator of the university’s NSS cell, and the palliative volunteers will associate with palliative care units that function in various places.
Since every NSS unit have their own ‘adopted’ villages, the service of the volunteer groups under the project will be allotted to the respective areas.