Project Hamrahi update

Project Hamrahi began in 2010 and aims to foster development of palliative care through mentoring and mutual learning. Mentor teams from Australia and New Zealand link to palliative care sites in India to help support their development and reduce isolation.

As of September 2018, there have been 31 visits to 11 sites. Most sites in India are located in the north-eastern region, in the states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Tripura. Mentors visit yearly, for approximately one week, for three or more years, providing bedside teaching, classroom lectures, grand rounds, community palliative care visits, participation in palliative care courses and media / advocacy presentations to improve the provision of pain relief and palliative care.

Thus far there have been 10 doctors, 12 nurses, a bereavement counsellor, pharmacist and project manager to travel as part of Project Hamrahi. Several doctors have linked to more than one site. Most mentor teams consist of one doctor and one nurse; however, some teams have involved four participants with good effect.

There are five active Hamrahi sites: Ambala, Patna, Agartala, Silchar and Vizag; with two more soon to commence in in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and Aizawl, Mizoram.

The Hamrahi link to Ahmedabad will differ from our previous model. We plan to send three pairs of senior nurse clinicians and educators to link with the Community Oncology Centre. The Centre’s director, Dr Geeta Joshi has requested for each pair to visit for 7-14 days to provide bedside teaching and mentoring, review of the current nursing plan and guidance on documentation in this 20-bed inpatient palliative care service. The sequential nature of the visits has been arranged to provide intense developmental support for the nurses.

Sarah Begley has organised two groups to visit and support the palliative care service in Ahmedabad. In February 2019 John Haberecht and Beverley Mercer were scheduled to visit, followed by Sandy Hawkins and Toni Coleman in March 2019.