Culture, communication and community in palliative cancer care: a view from India

Two palliative cancer-care models are being pioneered in India. The first has been developed by CanSupport, a cancer-care NGO based in Delhi. The CanSupport model of care emphasizes expertise and focuses on a relatively small number of patients. The second model is the Neighbourhood Network of Palliative Care, advanced by a group of physicians in the southern state of Kerala. The NNPC model emphasizes reach over expertise. It provides short-term training to community workers and civic-minded citizens, mobilizing numbers to treat a wider patient pool. This paper compares the strengths and drawbacks of both models in order to understand the generalizability of each for providing care to lower-income communities in lower- and middle-income countries.