Table 1

Characteristics of hospitals and palliative care services offered

Geographical distribution of hospitals across India
NorthNorth eastEastSouthWestCentral
Delhi 1Assam 1West Bengal 1Andhra Pradesh 6Gujarat 1Chattisgarh 1
Himachal Pradesh 1Meghalaya 1Jharkhand 1Karnataka 4Maharashtra 2Madhya Pradesh 1
Uttar Pradesh 6Bihar 2Kerala 6
Tamil Nadu 9
Type of palliative care service delivered No of hospitals (n=44)
Community palliative care service26 (59%)
Outpatient service23 (52%)
Integrated service16 (36%)
Dedicated palliative care beds13 (30%)
Specialist palliative care consult service11 (25%)
Day therapy5 (11%)
Palliative care team members—no of hospitals with each professional, range and median
HospitalsRangeMedian if available
Doctors38 (86%)0–72
Nurses (degree)17 (39%)0–81
Nurses (GNM)33 (75%)0–>102
Nurses (ANM)23 (52%)0–102
Social worker27 (61%)0–81
Physiotherapist19 (43%)0–11
Occupational Therapist6 (14%)0–11
Counsellor17 (39%)0–31
Psychologist13 (30%)0–11
Size of team 1 to >20 7
Who leads the team No of hospitals (n=44)
Doctor with specialist palliative care training10 (22%)
Doctor with basic palliative care training11 (25%)
Nurse with specialist training2 (5%)
Nurse with basic palliative care training3 (7%)
Dentist with specialist palliative care training2 (5%)
Dentist with basic palliative care training1 (2%)
Other doctor5 (11%)
Other/not specified10 (22%)
Underlying condition receiving palliative care: No of hospitals (n=44)
Stroke and other neurological conditions30 (68%)
Cancer29 (66%)
Disability25 (57%)
Renal failure17 (39%)
Dementia16 (36%)
HIV16 (36%)
Advanced respiratory disease16 (36%)
Heart failure12 (27%)
Liver failure11 (25%)
Paediatric10 (22%)
  • *Specialist defined as MD palliative medicine, MSc or national fellowship qualification

  • ANM, Auxillary Nurse & Midwife; GNM, General Nursing & Midwifery; MD, Doctor of Medicine; MSc, Master of Science.