SRINAGAR: The government has said that palliative care services under the National Programme for Palliative Care (NPPC) are currently functional in only one district of Jammu and Kashmir, even as patient services at primary healthcare level facilities continue across the Union Territory.
This information was shared by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The minister said the NPPC is operational in around 600 districts across the country, while Jammu and Kashmir remains among the Union Territories with the least district-level coverage under the programme.
However, the government has said that palliative care services are being delivered more widely through primary healthcare facilities. As of 10 December 2025, a total of 2,885 government primary healthcare facilities in Jammu and Kashmir were providing palliative care services, excluding Ayushman Arogya Mandir–AYUSH centres. Ladakh, reported separately, has 321 such facilities.
On patient utilisation, the minister said that State- and Union Territory-wise data on out-patient, in-patient and home-based palliative care services has been compiled under the NPPC for the financial years 2023–24, 2024–25 and 2025–26.
For 2023–24, a total of 44,076 patients availed out-patient palliative care services in Jammu and Kashmir. During the same year, 4,751 patients were covered through home-based palliative care visits, while 5,911 patients received in-patient palliative care services.
In 2024–25, utilisation showed a modest rise. 45,786 patients accessed OPD palliative care services, 6,947 patients were visited at home by frontline health workers, and 7,355 patients availed IPD palliative care services.
For 2025–26, up to October, the data shows a different pattern, reflecting partial-year reporting. During this period, 4,440 patients availed OPD palliative care services, 5,247 patients received home-based visits, and 12,083 patients were provided in-patient palliative care services.
These figures indicate a steady expansion in home-based and in-patient palliative care coverage in Jammu and Kashmir, alongside year-on-year growth in OPD utilisation until 2024–25, with 2025–26 data remaining provisional due to the reporting period being limited to October.
The government has said that palliative care is one of the twelve essential health services delivered at the Ayushman Arogya Mandir level, covering preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and end-of-life care. In Jammu and Kashmir, service delivery is supported by 1,822 Community Health Officers at Sub Health Centres, along with 4,994 Auxiliary Nurse Midwives and 733 male Multi-Purpose Workers posted at Sub Health Centres and Primary Health Centres.
According to the ministry, ASHA workers and community volunteers are trained to identify bedridden patients and others requiring palliative care, conduct periodic home visits, and support families by facilitating referrals and continuity of care. Community Health Officers supervise this care, provide pain management and emotional support, and link patients to higher facilities when required.
The government has also said that home-based palliative care kits have been provided to frontline workers. These kits include basic medical equipment, consumables and medicines for pain control, wound management, gastrointestinal symptoms and psychological support. Tele-consultation services at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are being used to connect patients in remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir with specialist care.
While the Centre has reiterated that palliative care is integrated into public healthcare at all levels, the data placed before Parliament indicates that district-level coverage under the NPPC in Jammu and Kashmir remains limited, even as year-wise patient utilisation data for the period from 2023–24 to 2025–26 has been formally recorded by the ministry.
