Way back in October 1997 there were a series of discussions among a group of doctors, writers and social activists in Thrissur on pain and sufferings of human beings affected with diseases like Cancer. Their main concern was to find out ways and means to lessen the sufferings of the unfortunate human beings and give them a happy life, at least for the period Nature permits them to live. The group felt it their solemn duty to address this issue then and there. It is the right of every human being to live a healthy life. A radical change in the approach to the person suffering from pain is the first step. Rather than building a hospital where consultation, treatment and dispensing of medicines is the routine affair, the group envisaged a hospice culture in which the suffering individual is the central sun, around whom Doctors, Volunteers, Nurses, neighbors and family members weave a network of love, co-operation, care and treatment.

This vision in our mind, the Pain and Palliative Care Society, Thrissur was formed in November 1997, as a Registered Charitable Society.

In the beginning the outpatient clinic of the Society functioned two days a week in a small space provided by the West Fort Hospital.

In March 1999, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of Kerala accorded sanction to function Pain and Palliative Care Clinic at the new Medical College Hospital, Thrissur in collaboration with The District Hospital, subject to the condition that no additional expenditure in this regard would be met by the Govt. Accordingly outpatient clinic started functioning three days a week in the afternoons. Occasional homecare visits also being conducted, first using the Ambulance of District Hospital and then with the Qualis Van donated by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation solely for this purpose.

When the Medical College was shifted to Mulamkunnathukavu and the District Hospital to the buildings vacated by the former, Thrissur District Panchayath gave us permission to function in the Old District Hospital Building. The whole activities of the Pain and Palliative Care Society, Outpatient unit, Training center and Inpatient unit, are centered in this building. The society and the patients visiting us for treatment are indebted to the District Panchayath for their humanitarian outlook.

The day to day affairs of the Society is coordinated by a Management Council of eleven members with Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, the volunteers hailing from different strata of society forming the backbone of our activities. To safeguard the social accountability, in the last Annual General Meeting, the Society has co-opted, Chairman District Panchayath, Chairman-Standing Committee (Health and Education) of District Panchayath, DMO and Supdt of District Hospital as members of the Society. The Society has elected the Standing committee Chairman and DMO to the Management Council. There are no hierarchies in the organization, so that each volunteer complement to the total work. The activities are decentralized to twenty areas of work, each with a coordinator. We have a thorough and transparent accounting system that is scrutinized at regular intervals and audited by renowned Chartered Accountants every financial year. Returns are filed every year with Income Tax authorities; Certificate of functioning with Registrar of Societies. We have the following paid employees:

Role of Media: The print media as well as the visual media have always shown a keen interest in our activities. They have supported us by providing ample space in their publications and channels.

Our Well wishers: Apart from the common public, we receive support from District Panchayath, MLA of Thrissur Assembly constituency and MP of Thrissur Parliamentary constituency.

As mentioned elsewhere The Hindustan Petroleum Corporation donated us a Qualis Van in 2005, by which to this day we are conducting homecare visits.

World Malayalee Council has given us an Ambulance on lease free of charge. This has helped us transport hundreds of patients. With the opening of IP unit, patients having their peaceful end here are transported to their homes by this vehicle.

Last year Trichur Corporation provided us medicines around Rs 2 lakhs and medical equipments such as Wheel Chairs( 10) , Crutches(10), Bed side Commode (10), water Bed(64) etc.

Rotary Club of Trichur Central provided us infrastructure for our Institute of Palliative Care and Inpatient Unit, the total amount being Rupees Seventeen lakhs.