Over 50 individuals participated in the webinar ‘Busting myths on the right to die with dignity in India’ held via the Zoom platform on Thursday, 20th February, 2025, between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.. The webinar was hosted by Nivarana in collaboration with the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC), Pallium India, and the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.
A stellar group of panellists from diverse backgrounds presented an excellent and thought provoking webinar. The panel was represented by (in alphabetical order) Dr Dhvani Mehta (Lawyer, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, New Delhi), Dr Parth Sharma (Community Physician and Public Health Researcher), Dr Rahul Pandit (Chairman, Critical Care and Emergency, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital and all Reliance Foundation Health Initiatives), Dr Raj Mani (Intensivist & Pulmonologist; Director, Clinical Services, Yashoda Hospital, Ghaziabad), Dr Rajani Bhat (Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine Physician, Palliative Medicine Physician, Sparsh Hospital, Bengaluru), Dr Rajinder Dhamija (Professor, Neurology and Director, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences), Dr Roop Gursahani (Consultant Neurologist, PD Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai), Dr Savita Butola (Secretary, IAPC; Commandant, Border Security Force, Tripura), and Dr Smriti Khanna (Consultant Neurologist, PD Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai). Ms Rema Nagarajan (Senior Health Journalist) and Dr Srinagesh Simha (Medical Director, Karunashraya, Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar) joined the webinar as chairperson as they shared excellent inputs and also gently navigated the webinar towards meaningful and rich discussions.
The webinar discussed the legal, medical, and ethical aspects of end-of-life care and palliative care in India, and also provided opportunities for participants to clarify doubts and correct misinformation on the issue.
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