Tambaram gets 180-bed hospice for terminal patients

Chennai: State opened a govt-run end-of-life care centre for advanced cancer and chronic disease patients on Wednesday—a 180-bed hospice in Tambaram, repurposed from a Covid-19 isolation ward built to quarantine international arrivals in Chennai.The hospice, inaugurated by health minister Ma Subramanian, is affiliated with Madras Medical College and will offer specialized services such as pain management, symptom control, and psychosocial support.
Doctors said most patients in such advanced stages of disease are discharged from hospitals, since cure is no longer possible. "This will be the first facility of its kind that will offer quality care and dignity to patients," Subramanian said.While palliative care provides holistic, symptom-focused support and can start at any stage of a serious illness, often running alongside curative treatment, end-of-life care focuses on a subset who are in the final weeks or months of life. Care for such people shifts to comfort and dignity rather than curing the disease. There are no precise statistics on those needing such services in the state, but palliative care experts like Dr Republica Sridhar, who has more than three decades of experience in hospice services, say global studies estimate up to 2% of the population may require end-of-life care. "Palliative care needs increased to about 5% of the population with an increase in ageing population and a surge in non-communicable diseases. End-stage care demand will be at least 2%," she said.Tamil Nadu officials estimate the hospice will serve up to 400 terminal patients annually, offering pain relief, ICU care, counselling, and integrated services with the neighbouring Tambaram govt district headquarters hospital and National Siddha Institute. The facility includes a 16-bed intensive care unit, 134 general ward beds, and 30 paid wards. The state has sanctioned 7.44 crore annually for maintenance and staffing, Subramanian added.Madras Medical College dean Dr K Shantharam said the facility has sanctions for 40 care workers. "Doctors, nurses, social workers, and psychologists will be drawn from Rajiv Gandhi Govt General Hospital. Nurses will handle four to five patients each, though some cases will require one-to-one care. Staffing will be scaled to need," he said.