Apollo Home Healthcare has announced the launch of its ‘Integrated Palliative Care at Home’ programme in Delhi, in partnership with Apollo Indraprastha Hospital. The initiative is aimed at delivering home-based palliative care services and will be extended to Apollo Athenaa, a recently launched centre for women’s cancer care in Delhi. Future plans include scaling the programme to other major cities across India.
Palliative care is a specialised area of medical support for individuals facing serious, life-limiting conditions. It focuses on symptom relief and psychological support, intending to improve quality of life for patients and their families.
According to Apollo, India sees approximately 5.4 million individuals requiring palliative care annually, but less than 2 per cent receive it. The integrated care model launched by Apollo Home Healthcare aims to fill this gap by providing clinical, emotional and logistical support at patients’ homes. This includes medical supervision by physicians, nurses, counsellors, and physiotherapists.
Dr Sushma Bhatnagar, Pain and Palliative Care Consultant at Apollo Indraprastha Hospital, said, “In palliative care, the most profound difference comes from meeting patients where they feel safest, at home. This program ensures that pain management, symptom relief, and compassionate emotional support are delivered seamlessly beyond hospital walls. It empowers families to care for their loved ones with dignity, while being guided by an expert team every step of the way.”
The Integrated Palliative Care at Home programme includes several components:
- Personalised care plans tailored for patients with terminal illnesses
- Pain and symptom management by trained professionals
- Emotional, psychological, and spiritual support for both patients and caregivers
- Home visits and virtual consultations from a multidisciplinary care team
Receiving palliative care at home is expected to reduce the need for emergency care, hospital admissions, and ICU stays. This approach may also lower healthcare costs and reduce the overall burden on families.
Dr Sai Kumar, Head-Medical Services, Apollo Home Healthcare, stated, “Through this integrated palliative care program, we are bridging critical gaps by bringing hospital-level expertise directly to patients’ homes. From advanced pain and symptom management to emotional and spiritual counselling, our multidisciplinary teams ensure every patient receives dignified, holistic care tailored to their needs. This initiative will help prevent avoidable hospital visits, lower healthcare costs, and greatly improve quality of life for patients and their families.”
Vishal Lathwal, CEO of Apollo Home Healthcare, added, “With this launch in Delhi, in partnership with Apollo Indraprastha Hospital and plans to extend it to the newly launched Apollo Athenaa, we are setting a new benchmark for home-based palliative care for cancer and chronic illnesses. India’s changing disease landscape demands care models that place the patient and their family at the center – offering not just medical support, but also convenience, continuity and compassion. Through this program, we aim to skill caregivers to meet the complex physical and emotional needs of patients, while supporting families every step of the way – ensuring that palliative care is not just available, but truly humane and dignified.”