Dean Foundation - History

History

Dean Foundation was established in 1998 by Mrs. Deepa Muthaiya and her two friends Mr. K.V.Srinivasan and Mr. K. Aravindan.

The former journalist Mrs. Deepa Muthaiya was deeply inspired by the Sogyal Rimpoche's book: “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying”. She was moved by its philosophy of compassionate love, emphasis on care for the dying and the acknowledgement of the futility of denying death or living in terror of it. Mrs. Muthaiya wanted to help individuals die with peace and dignity, but she didn’t know where to start. When a relative, who was a doctor, returned from the U.K. and spoke to her about the Palliative Medicine that was occurring there, the way that she could help the dying revealed itself.

Dean Foundation started work in October 1999. Clinical work began on the 6th of October in 1999, one and a half years after the Trust was registered.

On October 2001, Dean Foundation shifted to a rented house in Kilpauk, Chennai. Free Out-Patient and Home Care Services were established.

On July 1, 2009 “Specialist Palliative and Geriatric Care Out-Patient Clinic” was inaugurated in a collaborative initiative by ONGC and Dean Foundation.

On April 12, 2010 Dean Foundation was given the opportunity to operate in the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Chennai, thus becoming the first non-governmental organization to provide hospice and palliative care in the State Government Health sector.

On July 15, 2010 Dedication and Blessing Ceremony for the new Pediatric Palliative Care Centre in the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children was conducted, when the premises was formally taken over by the Trust. A small gathering of friends, donors and volunteers were present along with a few officials from the Government Hospital

For the twelve years of its work Dean Foundation has cared for 1854 patients, of whom 1444 were Cancer patients. The current caseload is 155 patients.

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