Teaching Compassion – Integrating Palliative Care into Medical Education in Bangladesh

n Bangladesh, medical education has traditionally focused on diagnosis, treatment, and cure. While these are essential pillars of healthcare, they often overlook a critical dimension: compassionate care for those who cannot be cured. Palliative care, which addresses the physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering of patients with life-limiting illnesses, is still a marginal topic in most medical and nursing curricula.

Pallium Academy Bangladesh is leading the charge to change this. By integrating palliative care education into undergraduate and postgraduate programs, the Academy is helping future doctors and nurses understand that healing is not always about curing—it’s about caring.

Students trained in palliative care learn to:

• Communicate with empathy and clarity.
• Manage pain and distressing symptoms.
• Support families through grief and decision-making.
• Respect cultural and spiritual values in end-of-life care.

This shift in education is not just academic—it’s transformative. It prepares healthcare professionals to treat patients as whole human beings, not just clinical cases. In doing so, Pallium Academy is cultivating a new generation of healers who bring both skill and soul to their practice.