Ganga Prem Hospice, Rishikesh

There are 14 (fourteen) lakh patients suffering in India as of 2020 and 70% per cent of these patients are already terminally ill by the time their cancer is diagnosed. According to IARC GLOBOCAN 2020 database, the current global cancer caseload burden is 19.3 million.

In comparison to the cancer situation in India and that of other debilitating diseases, palliative care and hospice care facilities are seriously inadequate in the country. There are very few recognised palliative care units and hospices in India.

As a result, a vast majority of cancer patients die in unbearable pain and the patients and also their families suffer mental agony and financial hardships.

Cancer is a debilitating, life-limiting disease. It is almost always excruciatingly painful in its final stages, making the patient defenceless and dependent.

In our own small but significant way, Ganga Prem Hospice, Rishikesh (GPH India) has taken action. Since 2005, starting with providing palliative care to terminally-ill cancer patients at home, the hospice has grown over time to serve terminal patients through outpatient consultation clinics and recently, a well-equipped 15-bedded inpatient facility in Raiwala, Rishikesh.

All of our services are entirely free of charge.

At a point, our home-care teams serve more than 100 cancer patients at their homes chiefly with pain and symptom control, wounds’ dressing and feeding requirements.

At least 1 free outpatient clinic is organised by the hospice each month in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.

Commissioned in 2017, our hospice facility is equipped to provide high-quality end-of-life care to cancer patients admitted at the end stages of their lives.

More than 1,000 most-vulnerable families of deceased patients have received economic and counselling support during times of extreme loss and bereavement.

In addition to increased activity across services lines, we want to complete the remaining 30% of our hospice facility to unleash its planned capacity of 25 beds.

We have directly touched the lives of and provided palliative care to over 15,500 terminally-ill cancer patients till now.

An assessment of our field efforts reveals the impact that our teams have been able to make in the communities we serve.

More than 2,000 terminal patients have been cared for at their homes. 3 multi-disciplinary teams ensure that each patient receives medical care through regular visits and follow-ups, right up till the patient’s demise.

Over 12,600 patients, mostly diagnosed with terminal cancer in stage IV, have been consulted with at 170 outpatient clinics, organised in Rishikesh and other parts of Uttarakhand and northern India.

Our hospice has given 24x7 end-of-life care to over 530 inpatients requiring intensive palliative care due to rapid deterioration of health, and multiplying pain and other symptoms.

It takes a recurring expenditure of over INR 12 lakhs per month to achieve this level of impact, all of it donated by generous supporters.

All our services are entirely free since inception, and we want to sustain this unique care model with the support of existing and prospective donors.

Your donation, even the smallest amount, can create an indelible impact on the remaining lives of our cancer patients.