M. R. Rajagopal
M. R. Rajagopal (born 23 September 1947) is an Indian palliative care physician and Founder Chairman of Pallium India, a palliative care non-governmental organisation based in Kerala, India. He has been referred to as the 'father of palliative care in India' in honour of his significant contribution to the palliative care scene in India. In 2018, the Indian Government honoured Rajagopal with the Padma Shri award. He published his memoir 'Walk with the Weary' in 2022, where he shares lessons he learned while walking along the road of life limiting illness with people who changed his  outlook on what matters the most when living with a critical illness, and also at the end of life. A documentary film based on Rajagopal's life, titled 'Hippocratic: 18 Experiments in Gently Shaking the World' was released by Moonshine Agency, Australia, on World Palliative Care Day, 14 October 2017. Rajagopal's advocacy has contributed to amendment of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of India in 2014 and in its implementation—a critical step in reducing needless suffering and allowing millions to access pain relief. He was also the prime mover in the creation of the National Program  for Palliative Care (NPPC) by the Ministry of Health of Government of India. In 2014, Rajagopal was honored by Human Rights Watch with Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism, in recognition of his tireless efforts to defend the right of patients to live and die with dignity. Positions held. Rajagopal holds the following positions: Rajagopal is on the editorial board of several international journals and has authored/edited two textbooks, several book chapters (including Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine) and more than 30 publications in scientific journals. Current involvement with scientific journals: Achievements. Rajagopal is one of the founders  of Pain and Palliative Care Society (PPCS) in Medical College, Calicut, in 1993. In 1995, PPCS was recognized as a model demonstration project by the World Health Organisation, known for its suitability to the socio-cultural needs of the country, for its novel training programs and for its roots in the community. Over ten years, it developed into the biggest Palliative Care Centre in the country incorporating a major "Institute of Palliative Medicine" (IPM), with more than 60 link centres in various parts of Kerala. Since 1996, Rajagopal has been working with the WHO Collaborating Center at Madison-Wisconsin and  with Government of India to improve opioid availability in India. In 2003, he with his colleagues created Pallium India, a registered charitable trust with the intention of spreading palliative care to areas in India where they did not exist, and for palliative care advocacy. In 2016, the organization has reached 15 of India's 29 states. In 2006, Pallium India created the Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences as its training, research and clinical demonstration unit. In 2012, this was declared a WHO Collaborating Centre. Rajagopal is one of the five lead authors of the Lancet Commission report published in October  2017, which pointed out that more than 61 million people live in pain and suffering worldwide every year without access to palliative care. The report describes a possible global strategy for correction in this huge inequity in care and suggests and a low-cost essential package which could remedy the situation. Rajagopal's contribution has been significant in bringing the Parliament of India to amend the draconian Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985. The Amendment was passed in 2014 Feb. In 2017, Rajagopal was named one of the 30 most influential leaders in hospice and palliative medicine  by American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM).