Strengthening Rural Health Systems Through Bedside Palliative Support: A Community-Integrated Model for Equity and Sustainability in India
1
Oncology, Mas Clinic & Hospital, Tamluk, India
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Rural populations in India continue to experience disparities in access to essential palliative and supportive care services, particularly for patients living with chronic and life-limiting illnesses. Limited healthcare infrastructure, shortage of trained providers and financial hardship contribute to avoidable suffering and fragmented continuity of care. To bridge this gap, a community-integrated bedside palliative support model was implemented in East Medinipur to advance equitable, inclusive and sustainable health services.
METHODS:
The intervention utilized a community-based workforce comprising home-care nurses, oncology social workers and trained volunteers. Core services included bedside symptom monitoring, psychosocial counselling, caregiver education, medication adherence support and navigation to tertiary oncology facilities. Program evaluation applied a mixed-methods design using routine care records, structured caregiver surveys and qualitative interviews. Key outcome measures included symptom improvement, care satisfaction, service accessibility and reduction of unplanned hospital visits.
RESULTS:
Among 1,800 patients served between 2010 and 2025, 82 percent achieved notable improvement in symptom burden after structured bedside support. Caregivers reported increased confidence in managing pain, feeding issues and emotional distress. The model reduced unnecessary emergency visits by 41 percent, largely due to early identification of clinical deterioration and improved home-based symptom control. Community volunteers enhanced service reach among elderly, low-income and geographically isolated patients. Identified challenges included burnout among caregivers and transportation constraints, while strong community participation and culturally sensitive counselling supported long-term acceptability.
CONCLUSIONS:
This community-integrated bedside model demonstrates that strengthening rural health systems with palliative support is achievable, low-cost and scalable. By addressing inequity and reducing avoidable suffering, the approach contributes directly to the global vision of “Health Without Borders.” Integrating similar models into primary health care could significantly advance universal health coverage for marginalized populations.
Rural populations in India continue to experience disparities in access to essential palliative and supportive care services, particularly for patients living with chronic and life-limiting illnesses. Limited healthcare infrastructure, shortage of trained providers and financial hardship contribute to avoidable suffering and fragmented continuity of care. To bridge this gap, a community-integrated bedside palliative support model was implemented in East Medinipur to advance equitable, inclusive and sustainable health services.
METHODS:
The intervention utilized a community-based workforce comprising home-care nurses, oncology social workers and trained volunteers. Core services included bedside symptom monitoring, psychosocial counselling, caregiver education, medication adherence support and navigation to tertiary oncology facilities. Program evaluation applied a mixed-methods design using routine care records, structured caregiver surveys and qualitative interviews. Key outcome measures included symptom improvement, care satisfaction, service accessibility and reduction of unplanned hospital visits.
RESULTS:
Among 1,800 patients served between 2010 and 2025, 82 percent achieved notable improvement in symptom burden after structured bedside support. Caregivers reported increased confidence in managing pain, feeding issues and emotional distress. The model reduced unnecessary emergency visits by 41 percent, largely due to early identification of clinical deterioration and improved home-based symptom control. Community volunteers enhanced service reach among elderly, low-income and geographically isolated patients. Identified challenges included burnout among caregivers and transportation constraints, while strong community participation and culturally sensitive counselling supported long-term acceptability.
CONCLUSIONS:
This community-integrated bedside model demonstrates that strengthening rural health systems with palliative support is achievable, low-cost and scalable. By addressing inequity and reducing avoidable suffering, the approach contributes directly to the global vision of “Health Without Borders.” Integrating similar models into primary health care could significantly advance universal health coverage for marginalized populations.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
