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'This page has been approved by the United Grand Lodge of England’
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Message for November ‘05 PALLIATIVE CARE We now have ‘Days’ for everything, and so it has become rather commonplace, to celebrate Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, even Husband’s Day which I believe is called Karva Chauth, north of the Deccan. However, for the first time, sometime last month, I came across a ‘Palliative Day’ which gathered together organizations involved in palliative care for incurable ailments. This triggered off my message for this month as it is a subject which has been exercising my mind for many years now, and on which our Board of General Purposes has been working on, over the past few months, for an appropriate scheme for our Brethren, should such a need arise. About three years ago in 2002, I sought the assistance of Insurance experts (to no avail, I might add) to draw up a scheme to provide a safety net for our Brethren, in the event of any of them or their spouses, falling victim to terminal (or old age) and therefore incurable, ailments such as Cancer, Motor Neuron disease, Alzheimers etc. Currently, no Insurance cover provides for any support for these afflictions or for any other beyond the age of seventy years, and with longevity increasing, and the joint family support system disintegrating, we have an incipient welfare problem gathering size and familiarity. We have in this country over 70 million categorized Senior Citizens and the percentile of this population which can theoretically suffer such ailments could be a matter of increasing concern. In anticipation, we, in the Masonic District of Madras, therefore propose to launch a self-managed (as no Insurance Company is prepared to offer such a facility) Mason’s Welfare Fund which will call for a modest subscription of about Rs.1,500/- (One Thousand Five Hundred Rupees) per annum, which sums when gathered, will be invested for us by Fund Managers, who will operate at arms length, from the Masonic Trustees of the Welfare Fund, to provide the resources from which the financial help to those Brethren needing medically-advised, palliative care will be rendered. This financial assistance could be given for home or hospice / hospital care, at the affected person’s choice. The Mason’s Welfare Fund (MWF) will be an ear-marked constituent fund (for palliative care) of the District Grand Charity Fund Trust and likewise, administered by its President and Executive Council, under the guidance as presently, of the Trustees thereof. The MWF will not consider petitions / requests other than for palliative care, as those ordinary petitions can be met by existing facilities as is being done presently. We would welcome feedback on this proposal which may be sent by e-mail to the Secretary of the District Grand Charity while expressing the wish that the Fund be launched at our February meeting in Kollam, at the latest. In the meanwhile let me wish you all a Happy Diwali, and to our Muslim Brethren and their families, my hearty ID greetings.
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H. L. Ratan for
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