Rajagopal is one of the founders of Pain and Palliative Care Society (PPCS) in Medical College, Calicut, Kerala in 1993. In 1995, PPCS was recognized as a model demonstration project by the World Health Organization for community based palliative care activities. It set up an Institute of Palliative Medicine (IPM), with numerous link centres. Since 1996, Rajagopal has been working with the WHO Collaborating Center at Madison-Wisconsin and with Government of India to improve opioid availability in India. In 2003, he with colleagues created
Pallium India, a registered charitable trust with the intention of spreading palliative care to areas in India where they did not exist, and for palliative care advocacy. By 2016, the organization reached 15 of India's 29 states. In 2006, Pallium India created the Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences (TIPS) as its training, research and clinical demonstration unit. In 2012, TIPS was declared a WHO Collaborating Centre. He was elected as Lifetime International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) Board Advisor in 2012. Rajagopal is one of the five lead authors of the Lancet Commission report published in October 2017, which pointed out that more than 61 million people live in pain and suffering worldwide every year without access to palliative care. The report describes a possible global strategy for correction in this huge inequity in care and suggests and a low-cost essential package which could remedy the situation. Rajagopal's contribution has been significant in bringing the Parliament of India to amend the draconian Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985. The Amendment was passed in 2014 Feb. In 2014, Rajagopal was honored by
Human Rights Watch with Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism, in recognition of his efforts to defend the right of patients to live and
die with dignity. In 2017, Rajagopal was named one of the 30 most influential leaders in hospice and palliative medicine by American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM). The Government of India, in 2018, honoured Rajagopal with the
Padma Shri award, "one of the highest civilian awards" for distinguished service in healthcare. Rajagopal published his memoir 'Walk with the Weary' in 2022, sharing his journey as a palliative care advocate and practitioner. Rajagopal co-authored many Lancet Commission reports including the 'Value of Death' report published in 2022. == Awards and honours==