Manipal, April 26, 2025: Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) Manipal announces the unveiling of India’s one of its kind, Manipal Hospice and Respite Centre (MHRC), which will be formally inaugurated on April 30, 2025, by the Hon’ble Justice Shri Syed Abdul Nazeer, His Excellency Governor of Andhra Pradesh.  It will commence clinical services from July 2025.  This high social impact initiative by MAHE is entirely free of cost and aims to be a one-stop destination for excellent, compassionate, holistic palliative care.  It will provide comprehensive hospice and respite care to patients and their families facing serious and life-limiting illnesses.

The facility is strategically planned to operate with support from multiple partners, including Kasturba Medical College, Kasturba Hospital Manipal, and the Indian Association of Palliative Care, offering specialist palliative care by a multidisciplinary team of trained palliative medicine physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers and other support teams, alongside several corporates and non-profit organisations contributing to its funding.  Situated just 4.5 kilometers from Kasturba Medical College Hospital and 4 kilometers from NH-66, the Manipal Hospice and Respite Centre (MHRC) is set within a peaceful 12-acre green campus, nestled along the tranquil banks of the Swarna River.

Speaking at the press conference, Dr H S Ballal, Pro Chancellor of MAHE, Manipal, said, “our commitment has always extended beyond education and research to encompass the values of empathy, dignity, and humanity. The idea behind creating this unique facility that combines medical excellence with a nurturing environment is to provide an ecosystem of compassion and patient-centric care for those facing life-limiting conditions.”  Designed to nurture emotional and spiritual well-being alongside physical care, it reflects our belief that healing must embrace the whole person—not just the disease, he added.

Expressing his happiness ahead of the launch, Lt Gen (Dr) MD Venkatesh, VSM (Retd.), Vice Chancellor, MAHE, Manipal, said, "MHRC is a pathbreaking initiative that advances our mission to deliver specialised, empathetic, and academically rooted healthcare. As the only hospice in India affiliated with both a medical college and a tertiary hospital, it is uniquely positioned to provide advanced palliative care while serving as a training ground for future caregivers.  The services offered through this high-impact initiative will be provided entirely free of cost to patients and families facing serious and life-limiting conditions."

Dr Sharath K. Rao, Pro Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences, Dr Narayana Sabhahit, Pro Vice Chancellor (Technology & Science), Dr Raviraja NS, Chief Operating Officer. Dr. Giridhar Kini, Registrar of MAHE and Dr. Naveen Salins, Professor and Head, Department of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care, and Dr. Seema Rajesh Rao, Director, Manipal Hospice and Respite Centre (MHRC), also spoke on the occasion.

MHRC is different from other hospice facilities because of its unique and strategic inclusion of advanced palliative care with research and education. The facility is developed to be the only hospice in India, attached to both a medical college and tertiary care hospital that caters to cancer and non-cancer conditions.  MHRC will provide innovative care models while training the next generation of palliative care specialists.