Palliative care is an area of health care that is difficult for many people to talk about or even consider, let alone work in. That’s not the case for Dr Sandeep Bhagat (pictured), Peninsula Health’s new Head of Unit for Palliative Care.

“When I had my first exposure to palliative care, that’s where I found the meaning of being a doctor is more than just doing stitches or doing tests,” Dr Bhagat said.  “It’s actually sitting with people and having the honour to hear first-hand stories, hold their hand, relieve their pain, and make them feel loved again.  I think all these basic human values attracted me to this speciality.”

Dr Bhagat places a high value on the team members who care for people nearing the end of their days.  “We have over 100 years of experience so we’ve got very experienced senior nurses. It is a small team, close-knit, so we sit together, we hand over better, we support each other better, and I think we can come back in the tea room together and de-brief each other and that is the spirit and strong ethos of this unit.”

Leading the team, Dr Bhagat espouses a positive attitude to the role that he and his fellow nurses and doctors can play in the lives of patients and their families.

“Palliative care most people relate to dying, whereas I relate it to life, quality of life, whatever remaining life that is.  That is my way of separating it from the sad part of dying.  Most people would say death is very sad. I see before death there is a big phase which is their completion of exploring their spirituality, trying to bring a meaning to them and their family.

“The other way of looking at it as far as my own coping is the patient never dies; they are now living in the memories of their loved one.  If I can leave families with a better experience in their bereavement, and they have watched their loved one dying in peace and dignity, that is how we get the compliments and thanks, and that is what drives you to keep doing what you’re doing every day.”

For more information about Peninsula Health’s Palliative Care Service, phone 9784 7232.