Various studies show that in India around 7.2 million people experiences serious health related issues, but less than 4% have access to needed pain relief. It is estimated that the palliative requirement in South India is around 10.83 per 1000 population. This means an estimated 4.1 lakhs people needing palliative care in Telangana. However, with just 18 known palliative care centres located mainly in urban areas, the services are inadequate to serve everyone. Understanding the gap, CHAI in association with Azim Premji Foundation has launched a home-based palliative care project – VASATI for serving the palliative care patients in Medchal-Malkajgiri district.

Sr. Dr. Helen Mary, SAB, Director General of CHAI, officially inaugurated the “VASATI – Enhancing Compassionate, Quality, and Ethical Home-based Palliative Care” project on May 1, 2026. Held at Pratyasha, CHAI’s Holistic Palliative Care Centre in Medchal, Telangana, the event marks a significant step in expanding palliative care initiative by CHAI.

The VASATI project is dedicated to bringing high-quality palliative services directly to the homes of fellow human beings suffering from non-curable and terminal illnesses in the Medchal and Alwal Mandals. The Team Vasati will comprise of one doctor, two nurses, two nursing assistants, one physiotherapist, two drivers along with one project coordinator. Once this pilot project starts rolling, the Vasati project is expected to scale up the services in Hyderabad and also to provide capacity building and service improvement of other CHAI Member Institutions in palliative care.