Project Hamrahi: Gujarat 

Sandy Hawkins and Toni Coleman

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

It was heart-warming to be welcomed back to the Community Oncology Centre in Ahmedabad. This was our second visit to the Gujarat Cancer Research Institute, and we were fortunate to be accompanied by Dr Saima Furqan from Pallium India. There were many familiar faces excited to see us return and some new staff to meet as well.

The hospice was almost at full capacity during this visit, with only about four beds vacant. Once again, we attended rounds and contributed to the planning and clinical management of patients. Once again there were many patients with head and neck cancers, challenging wounds and pain.

As part of our education plan, we decided to develop a case history for each patient in order to develop a management plan for our next patient round. With Dr Saima translating, it provided a great opportunity for educating staff. There were a couple of patients with significant pain issues, so we were able to encourage the use of the pain scale and revisiting patients after half an hour to assess effectiveness of treatment. Again, we were trying to empower the nurses to raise these issues with the local doctors and seek permission to give further pain relief within a shorter time frame, not waiting two to four hours if the pain was unresolved.

Overall, our visit further developed the importance of empowering the nursing staff to work collaboratively with Dr Geeta to gain the best outcomes for the patients in the hospice. This was achieved by demonstrating the benefits of assessment tools and the value of good communication between patients, their families and health care professionals.

Their full report can be found here: