World Hospice & Palliative Care Day was observed at Dr. B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI), Guwahati in association with Fahmida Yesmin Rahman Memorial Trust (FYRMT), Guwahati on 10.10.2020. World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is a unified day of action to celebrate and support Hospice and Palliative Care globally every year on the 2^nd Saturday in the month of October.

It is organized by a committee of the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA), a network of hospice and palliative care worldwide. The aim of World Hospice & Palliative Care Day is to increase the availability of Hospice & Palliative Care service throughout the world by creating opportunities to speak out about the issues, to raise awareness & understanding of the needs – medical, social, practical, spiritual – of people living with a life limiting illness.

On the occasion, a Palliative Care Welfare Scheme was inaugurated by Dr.A C Kataki, Director of BBCI. This scheme will help to provide funds to patients to travel from BBCI to their native places. The Fahmida Yesmin Rahman Memorial Trust will provide aid to patients to purchase medicine.

Dr Amal Chandra Kataki has lauded the efforts of the trust to help the socially and economically backward patients. He also said that many relatives of cancer patient’s face financial hardship to shift their loved ones to home after they are discharged from the hospital, as well as to buy medicines, which have to be continued for long term supportive care. I hope this scheme would be able to cater to the needs of economically deserving patients, said Dr. Kataki.