‘Bhoomi puja’ for the first phase of Age Care Foundation Geriatric & Palliative Care Hospital is being held at the IIM-Vizag Road, Gambheeram in Visakhapatnam here on  Sunday morning.  This integrated health care facility is coming up on 1.08 acres of land donated by Padma Shree Awardee Dr.Sunkara Venkata Adinarayana Rao with a built-up area of 84,298 sq.ft spread across 5 floors.

Participating in the Bhoomi puja, Minister for Industries, & commerce, IT Gudivada Amarnath said it is the first of its kind in the state of Andhra Pradesh and added that palliative care is not only to relieve the suffering of the patients but also to comfort and support the families through difficult times and encourage everyone to come forward and partake in this charitable cause.

Once it is completed, the new facility will have -Dr. Rokkam Sasi Prabha Centre for Geriatric Care to meet the complex health care needs of the elderly and Dr. Sunkara Venkata Adinarayana Rao Centre for Palliative Care for people living with serious illness and focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the ailment. Also, there will be requisite infrastructure in place for training for health care providers comprising of caregivers, Volunteers & social workers.

Dr. N.S. Raju, managing trustee and medical director of Age Care Foundation (ACF) said this health care facility will have the necessary multi-disciplinary rehabilitation care team that will collaborate to help in overall patient care for a holistic recovery. I am deeply grateful for the generous donations and incredible philanthropic support that we are receiving from our people for building this type of health care facility which will be thrown open to patients within 18 months.

There will be 3,200 sft of Out-Patient Block and 43,148 sft of In-Patient facility with 84 spacious rooms for patients and 24 rooms for Nurses and Caregivers Training Block, a fully equipped diagnostic facility and exclusive physiotherapy block, indoor and outdoor auditoriums, activity room, dining hall and ample parking.

Dr. D. Raghunatha Rao, Founder Director of Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre and Board of Trustee for ACF said “the Palliative Care and Geriatric Care Centre at Gambhiram is the crystallization of our dreams. Essentially we shall provide a permanent structure for our charity. This is not only for patient care, but will also be for training of medical and paramedical staff in Palliative Care and Care of the Elderly, including dementia care. It will expand our scope and reach - through clinical services to all those whose diseases are beyond drugs and where a cure is not the goal. The centre will also provide end-of-life care. It will train the family, kith and kin, in patient care, so that the patient can be nursed in their own homes added Dr. Rao

Chairman and vice Chairman of ACF G Sambasiva Rao and Dr. K Kumar Raja along with the board of trustees, staff and volunteers graced the occasion.