Relieving patients of pain and other distressing symptoms during any phase of treatment—curative or otherwise—comprises palliative care. An opportunity to study the unmet need for palliative care in rural/tribal areas arose in the Nilgiris. However, the dominant condition requiring palliative care here turned out to be something rather unheard of in metro and tier-2 cities, and even in healthcare-planning circles: sickle cell disease.
