At 8.30 a.m. each day, P. Shobhana, a native of Koovode at Taliparamba in Kannur, leaves home to be by the side of a few person who desperately look forward to her visit. Her long day, spent by the side of bedridden patients, ends by 9 p.m. at times. This has been her routine for the past 17 years.
Shobhana is not alone in the venture. A team from Sanjeevani Santhvanaveedu, a trust formed by her and her brother at 7th Mile in Taliparamba, accompanies her in the noble mission that was triggered by a personal crisis. The trauma the family went through when Shobhana’s brother’s wife was diagnosed with cancer prompted her to leave her job as a teacher in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and dedicate her life to palliative care. “We started the palliative unit to ensure that no one goes without care and medical help,” she says, emphasising the dire need for daily care for people in distress.
Doctors, nurses
The palliative unit, established on July 1, 2006, stands as a beacon of hope in the community. Shobhana chose not to register the trust in her name, allowing it to be managed by the people. The unit, equipped with nurses and ambulances, extends its services far and wide. Doctors, physiotherapists or psychiatrists travel with the team depending on requirement. Nursing students from the Government Medical College, Pariyaram, often accompany her. Covering approximately 150 km with a meticulously planned route map, the team reaches out to 25 to 30 patients daily.
The trust offers free services valued at around ₹1 lakh a month. The service extends to places like Kalyassery, Pattuvam, Pariyaram, Kurumathur, Chengalai panchayats, and Anthoor and Taliparamba municipalities.
Funding of the trust
Despite the challenges and emotional weight of her work, Shobhana finds solace in the fulfilment the work gives her. Even in severe pain, patients radiate gratitude for the compassion they receive. The trust’s main source of funding is the coin boxes installed in various shops, showcasing the collective support of the community. To raise additional funds for her newly opened physiotherapy centre, she recently organised a ‘Churidhar and Biryani Challenge’.
The smiles received make the journey worthwhile, says Shobhana, who wants her legacy to be measured in the lives she has touched.
