Announcements / Messages from IAPC

Update: The Supreme Court of India eases the process for Advance Medical Directives (Living Will) and withdrawal of life support treatment!

A Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice K M Joseph has passed orders to making suitable amendments to the previous procedure regarding making an advance medical directive and withholding and withdrawing of life support treatment. This landmark judgement is set to be a game changer in the practice of End of Life care in India.

Key amendments:

  1. An advance medical directive may now be made in front of a Notary or a Gazetted Officer. There is no need for it to be countersigned by a magistrate.
  2. For withdrawing life support, two committees need to be constituted by the hospital where the patient is admitted. There is no need for a District collector to be involved henceforth.

The judges of the Supreme Court of India also go on to share, “The said directive, we think, will dispel many a doubt at the relevant time of need during the course of treatment of the patient. That apart, it will strengthen the mind of the treating doctors as they will be in a position to ensure, after being satisfied, that they are acting in a lawful manner”.

Please click here to read the highlighted copy of the Supreme Court judgement.

We are grateful to Senior Advocate Arvind Datar and Advocate Dr. Dhvani Mehta for their dedicated services over many years, totally pro bono, and to the End of Life Care India Taskforce (ELiCiT) steering group Drs. R K Mani, Roop Gursahani and Nagesh Simha for pursuing this relentlessly over more than seven years. We also acknowledge gratefully, the initial work, also pro bono, done by DSK Legal, especially Late Advocate Girish Gokhale, Advocate Nirav Shah and Advocate Nausher Kohli.

Calling the poet in you! Submit your original work in poetry before 15th March, 2023, to publish it on the IAPC’s national platform

The IAPC is commemorating World Poetry Day (21st March, 2023) by providing a platform for our poets from the palliative care fraternity to share their work with the world.

The IAPC invites poets to share their original work for publication in the April edition of the IAPC’s newsletter, and across all of IAPC’s platforms.

The submissions are to be emailed to assistant.nio.iapc@gmail.com in a word format, along with your name and contact number, before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 15th March, 2023.

Only one submission per poet will be published and English would be the preferred language for submissions.

Update: Highlights from the IAPC’s AGBM held on 11th February, 2023, in Bengaluru

The IAPC’s in-person Annual General Body Meeting (AGBM) was held from 5:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, 11th February, 2023, in Bengaluru, during the 30th Annual International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care.

119 members from across the country participated in the AGBM held at the Nimhans Convention Center, Bengaluru. The highlights from the AGBM as below:

  • 4 State Chapters (Assam, Jammu, New Delhi and West Bengal) were submitted for approval, which the General Body Approved. Congratulations and best wishes to the newly formed State Chapters!
  • Dr Megha Pruthi took over as the Treasurer, IAPC, from Dr Deepa Kerketta Khurana. Congratulations and welcome aboard Dr Megha Pruthi! We also extended our warmest gratitude to Dr Deepa for her help and support during her tenure.
  • Dr Jayita Deodhar was unanimously elected as an IAPC’s Central Council Member, West Zone, 2023 – 2025. This is Dr Jayita’s second term as a member of the Central Committee. Congratulations Dr Jayita Deodhar, we are happy to have you on board once again!
  • Dr Naveen Salins was unanimously elected as the Secretary General of the Academy of Palliative Medicine (2023-2025). Congratulations Dr Naveen Salins, we wish you the best for your future endeavours!
  • The venue for IAPCON 2025, the 32nd Annual International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care, was decided to be held in Jammu.
  • The IAPC will revise and update the existing Standards Audit Tool for Indian Palliative Care Programs. Dr Anjum Joad will lead this exercise.

IAPCON 2023 concludes with immense success and grandeur

The much awaited 30th Annual International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPCON 2023) concluded successfully on Sunday, 12th February, 2023, after a 3-day academic fiesta. 

IAPCON 2023 was a physical conference organised at the Nimhans Convention Center, Bengaluru, and was organised by Bangalore Hospice Trust – Karunashraya. The main conference was conducted over two and half days (Friday, 10th February 2023, to Sunday, 12th February 2023). Pre-conference workshops were held on Thursday, 9th February, 2023.

The conference was themed ‘Metamorphosis: The emergence of Subspeciality Palliative Medicine’.

Below are the highlights from the conference.

Preconference:

  • Over 350 delegates and 70 Faculty participated in the day long pre-conference workshops
  • The 10 pre-conference workshops were conducted on Thursday, 9th February, 2023, at 3 locations across the city: Bangalore Hospice Trust – Karunashraya, Shankara Eye Hospital and Aster CMI Hospitals.

Conference:

  • Over 700 delegates came together to celebrate the advancement and progress of palliative care during IAPCON 2023.
  • There were 80 National and 40 International speakers who participated in the conference.
  • A total of 90 scientific sessions were delivered during the conference
  • Day 1 (Friday, 10th February, 2023):
    • The conference was inaugurated on Friday, 10th February, 2023, with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by Dr Jeremy Johnson (the Chief Mentor of Karunashraya), Mr Kishore Rao (the Chairman of Karunashraya), Dr Sushma Bhatnagar (the President of IAPC), Dr Srinagesh Simha (the Conference Chair), Dr Naveen Salins (the Scientific Chair), Dr Savita Butola (the Secretary of IAPC), and Dr Seema Rajesh Rao (the Organising Secretary).
    • The tracks for the day were Neurology Palliative Care, Nephrology Palliative Care, and Oncology Palliative Care.
    • An online Renal Quiz was held by the Nephrology track
    • In the evening of Day 1:
      • The winners of the Cancer Aid Society’s ‘International Award for Excellence in Palliative Care’, 2021 – 2022 and the 2022 – 2023, were felicitated.
      • Dr Srinagesh Simha received the ‘Lifetime Achievement Awards’, presented by the National Association of Palliative Care for AYUSH & Integrative Medicine. The award was presented to Dr Simha by Dr Linge Gowda and Mr Radhakrishnan Menon.
      • Dr M R Rajagopal’s book, ‘Walk with the weary’ and Dr Sarita Singh’s book, ‘CBS Handbook on Pain and Palliative Care’ was also launched on the occasion
  • Day 2 (Saturday, 11th February, 2023):
    • The tracks for the day were Respiratory Palliative Care, ICU Palliative Care and Cardio Vascular Palliative Care
    • In the evening of Day 2:
      • Dr Pratima Murthy (Director, NIMHANS) graced the occasion, as Chief Guest, to address the gathering
      • Dr Pratima Murthy and Dr Anil Kumar Paleri jointly presented the ‘Bruce Davis Gold Medal 2022’ to Dr Arjun D
      • A Mesmerising cultural program, ‘Yakshanrutya’ (an exquisite folk dance of Karnataka) was presented by Kuriya Vittala Shastry Samaskruthika Prathishtana, which was enjoyed by everyone.
      • This dance recital was then followed by a gala dinner
  • Day 3 (Saturday, 12th February, 2023):
    • The tracks for the day were on Theory of Change, End of Life Care, and Palliative Care Education
    • The valedictory was held on the last day in which the organising team addressed the gathering.
      • Dr Ednin Hamzah, (CEO, Hospis Malaysia) presented the various awards to the winners from the various activities held during IAPCON 2023.
      • The winners from the Renal Quiz were:
        • First place: Dr Gaurav Chanana
        • Second place: Dr Megha Pruthi
        • Third place: Dr Lekha Vijaykumar Raval
      • A total of 177 posters and 72 oral presentations were presented over two days during the conference.
      • The winners from the Oral presentation were:
        • First place: Ms Diah Martina from Indonesia
        • Second place: Dr Bharathi Srilatha G
        • Third place: Dr Bhavya Shah
      • The winners from the first day of poster presentation were as follows:
        • First place: Dr Daniel Raj
        • Second place: Dr Priyanghsu
        • Third place: Dr Radha
      • The winners from the second day of poster presentation were as follows:
        • First place: Dr Divya SK
        • Second place: Dr Isha Jatin Shah
        • Third place: Dr Rajeev Shreshta

Over the three days, a true ‘metamorphosis’ was witnessed at the conference as opportunities were created for the integration of palliative care in other subspecialties, and also platform was created for several MD / DNB in Palliative medicine students to participate in the conference.

Please click here to read the comprehensive report from the conference.

The APHN announces and invites applications for the ‘Cynthia Goh Award’

The Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN) has announced the ‘Cynthia Goh Award’.

The award was announced on Monday, 13th February, 2023, in remembrance of a true visionary, Dr Cynthia Goh, who in her lifetime, selflessly dedicated herself to improving the quality of life for the terminally ill through palliative care.

The team announces that the ‘Cynthia Goh Award’ will henceforth be part of their biennial Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Conference (APHC), with one award granted for each APHC.

​Those individuals who have contributed to building capacity, advancement and provision of palliative care, and who have dedicated selflessly to promoting and supporting the alleviation of pain and suffering from life-limiting illnesses of patients and their families in order to improve their quality of life will be recognised for this award. The winners of these awards will be provided full paid attendance to the APHC of that year including economy airfare, hotel lodging and registration fees, and more.

Do note that applications are now invited for APHN’s upcoming APHC in Incheon, Korea, held between Wednesday, 4th and Saturday, 7th October, 2023.

Please note that applications must be submitted before Friday, 30th June, 2023.

Please click here for further information about the awards.

The WHPCA announces the theme for this year’s World Hospice and Palliative Care Day

We are excited to share that the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) has announced the theme for this year’s World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD). The WHPCD this year will be observed on Saturday, 14th October, 2023.

The theme for WHPCD 2023 is: Compassionate Communities: Together for Palliative Care.

Howard Kinyua (Communications Manager, WHPCA) shares, “This year’s theme builds on last year’s theme and the continued need to come together to support communities and each other now more than ever. Palliative care is a shared responsibility. Not only does it improve the quality of life for people facing serious illnesses and death as soon as the illness is diagnosed but it also encompasses the health and well-being of caregivers which includes grief and bereavement support.”.

Please click here for further details about this year’s WHPCD Theme. The WHPCD is an annual unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world.

Leverage the IAPC’s Social Media to stay connected!

The IAPC is inviting each of you to join the IAPC’s Social Media community to network and stay connected with the palliative care community, from India and beyond!

To get started, Follow / Like us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/palliativecare.in

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iapc-1994/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iapcsecretary

Join us for the IAPC and SMA-Nirvana’s ‘Singing for the Stars’ programs in March

The IAPC and the Shankar Mahadevan Academy Nirvana (SMA Nirvana) invite you to both editions of ‘Singing for the Stars’, scheduled for March, 2023, the details of which are mentioned below. 

Regional program dedicated to our friends from Punjab, Delhi and Haryana, at 3:50 p.m. on 9th March, 2023

The first program for the month will be a regional program dedicated to our friends from Punjab, Delhi and Haryana. This program is scheduled to be held at 3:50 p.m. on Thursday, 9th March, 2023.

The evening of harmonies will be presented by Mr Chirag Tomar(Vocalist, Performing Artist, and Musician).

National, Multilingual program dedicated to our friends across the country at 3:50 p.m. on 23rd March, 2023

The second program for the month is a national and multilingual edition of ‘Singing for the Stars’ dedicated to our friends from across the country.

This multilingual edition will be presented by Ms Vaishnavi Shriram (Singer, Composer and Music Producer) on Thursday, 23rd March, 2023, at 3:50 p.m. 

Don’t forget to mark your calendars and tune in on both 9th March, 2023, and 23rd March, 2023, to relax and unwind with music.

Update from the February event

The IAPC and the SMA’s program for the month was a multilingual edition dedicated to friends from across the country. This edition of ‘Singing for the Stars’ was presented by Ms Dhawani Gokulgandhi (Singer, Voiceover Artist and a Music educator) via Zoom on Friday, 24th February, 2023, at 2:50 p.m.

Ms Gokulgandhi put together a wonderful song list comprising of songs in Rajasthani, Punjabi, Sindhi, Gujarati, and Hindi. Thank you Ms Dhawani Gokulgandhi for presenting us with such a melodious evening of harmony.

We congratulate and thank our guest singers (in alphabetical order) Mr Premchand Patwa (Cancer survivor, Rajasthan), Ms Rajni Yarde (Cancer survivor, Jaipur), Ms Saroja Gangiah (Pharmacist, Benglauru) and Ms Vandana Pandey (Nurse, Jodhpur) for their enthusiastic participation.

Please click here to watch a recording of this session. 

The IAPC’s Careers page has been updated to reflect new vacancies from across the country

We invite you to visit the IAPC’s ‘View job vacancy’ page to view the recently updated vacancies in palliative care from across the country.

We request you to please also join us to improve the availability and access to palliative care by either sharing the details of vacancies at your center or by sharing the details of this platform with your colleagues to submit a vacancy from centers rendering palliative care services.

Call for Support: Your 2 minutes = Someone’s entire lifetime of Peace, Comfort and Dignity!

The IAPC requests you to spare just two minutes of your valuable time to submit / update the details of your palliative care services in the IAPC’s National Palliative Care Directory.

Steps to show your support:

  1. Please visit the IAPC’s National Palliative Care Directory and select the State from the drop down menu to check details of your center.
  2. If you need to add / update details of your center, then please visit the Submit/Update details of your PC center page on the IAPC website and submit the relevant details.
  3. After entering the relevant details, please click the ‘Submit’ button to record your responses.

Please do remember that your two minutes will make an invaluable difference in someone’s entire lifetime, as patients and caregivers, along with your colleagues will then have access to palliative care services when they need it the most!

Come on, donate your time to be a bridge in alleviating the suffering of our patients from across the country. Let no one be left behind!

For help please visit https://www.palliativecare.in/help/#Directory

‘Saath Saath Helpline’: India’s free palliative care helpline

Saath-Saath Helpline: 1800-202-7777, is the first of its kind National, Free-of-cost Palliative care helpline. The helpline offers non-judgmental listening services to palliative patients and their caregivers, or to a patient’s physician, and connects them to the nearest palliative care center.

The helpline has 26 partner organisations working across 17 States and Union territories viz; Maharashtra, Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Orissa, Punjab, Haryana, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kashmir and West Bengal. Volunteers from Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) and Cipla Palliative Care and Training Centre (CPC) attend the calls in four shifts to either provide information, offer Psycho-emotional support or to refer the caller to a partner organisation.

The helpline provides service through call-in on a phone line and works 6 days a week (Mon-Sat), 10 am to 6 pm.

You can offer your support by informing patients about this helpline and refer those who are in need of such services.