Announcements / Messages from IAPC

IAPC’s Infographic of the month

The March Infographic focuses on the concept of ‘Basics of Morphine in Palliative Care’.

This initiative reflects the IAPC’s constant endeavour to promote palliative care education and awareness across the country.

Please feel free to share this infographic within your networks. The same will be available on our social media platforms and also on our website. Please click here to access the same.

We thank Dr Wasimul Hoda (Assistant Professor, Department of Anaesthesia, RIMS, Ranchi) for his enthusiasm and constant support towards this initiative.

The IAPC’s Election Results (2024)

The IAPC’s elections for the 2 positions for Central Council Members from the North Zone was held in-person during IAPCON 2024, at the Telemedicine room, Auditorium, Gujarat Cancer Research Institute, Ahmedabad, on Saturday, 10th February, 2024, between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The elections were held under the supervision of Dr Sukdev Nayak (Chief Election officer, 2024) and Dr Arun Deka (Election Officer, 2024). The IAPC extends its gratitude to both our election officers. We would like to appreciate Dr Arun Deka for readily accepting (in short notice) our invitation for support in the absence of Dr Gayatri Palat who was unable to attend IAPCON due to sudden and unforeseen circumstances.

4 nominations (Dr. Ayush Garg, Dr. Deepa Kerketta Khurana, Dr. Nishkarsh Gupta and Dr. Sarita Singh) were received for the 2 positions for Central Council (CC) Members from the North Zone. During the IAPC’s Annual General Body Meeting the same evening, Dr Sukdev Naik announced that Dr Nishkarsh Gupta and Dr Sarita Singh were elected as the Central Council Members from the North Zone.

The nominations submitted for the post of President (2025 – 2028), the CC member for West Zone (2024 – 2026) and the 2 CC members for the South Zone (2024 – 2026) were uncontested.

The following are the results.

  • President (2025 – 2028): Dr Geeta Joshi (unopposed)
  • North Zone (2024 – 2026): Dr Nishkarsh Gupta and Dr Sarita Singh (elected)
  • South Zone (2024 – 2026): Dr Praneeth Suvvari and Dr Seema Rajesh Rao (unopposed)
  • West Zone (2024 – 2026): Dr Raghu Thota (unopposed)

No nominations were received from the North East Zone and the East Zone. Dr Jutika Kalita (Assam) and Dr Nandan Choudhary (Manipur) were proposed from the floor as potential candidates for the North East Zone during the IAPC’s AGBM. However, both nominations were invalid as they did not satisfy the eligibility criteria (minimum number of years to have been an IAPC member to become a CC member).

The IAPC’s General Body therefore authorised the IAPC’s CC body to complete the election process of identifying suitable candidates for the 2 positions each for the IAPC’s CC Members for the North East Zone and East Zone, during their upcoming CC meeting.

IAPCON 2024, an academic extravaganza, concludes successfully with grandeur

The 31st Annual International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPCON 2024) concluded successfully on Sunday, 11th February, 2024. IAPCON 2024 was an in-person conference organised by the Department of Palliative Medicine, Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute (GCRI), Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The main conference was held for 2.5 days between Friday, 9th February, 2024, and Sunday, 11th February, 2024. The Pre-conference workshops were conducted on Thursday, 8th February, 2024. The conference was themed ‘Revisiting the domains of Palliative Care’, as it aimed to enhance the delegates’ practise of palliative care by empowering them with the various aspects in Palliative Care for both cancer and non-cancer patients.

Below are the highlights from the conference.

Pre conference workshops:

183 delegates participated in the 6 in-person pre conference workshops

Conference:

438 delegates came together to participate in IAPCON 2024 to mutually exchange knowledge and share best practices.

The conference was inaugurated by Shri Dhananjay Dwivedi (Principal Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Gujarat), Dr Sushma Bhatnagar (President, IAPC), Dr Shashank Pandya (Director, GCRI), Dr Suresh Reddy (Indo-American Cancer Association), Shri Kshitish Madanmohan (General Secretary, GCS), Dr Geeta Joshi (Organising Chair, IAPCON 2024) and Dr Priti Sanghavi (Secretary, IAPCON 2024).

The Cancer Aid Society Awards, the Bruce Davis Award and the MT Bhatia Award was presented, and the book ‘Guidelines for Home-based palliative care and Out-Patient palliative care teams’ by Can Support was released during the inaugural ceremony.

The IAPC’s Annual General Body Meeting (AGBM) was held on Saturday, 10th February, 2024.

Winning team of the Quiz competition was represented by the following Post Graduate Residents in Palliative Medicine:

  • Dr Aakash Hinduja (3rd year resident, Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute, Hyderabad)
  • Dr Pratyasa Padhi (Senior Resident, IMS and SUM Hospital, Bhubaneshwar)
  • Dr Suhana Sulfiker (3rd year resident, AIIMS, New Delhi)

33 creative posters were submitted by 27 delegates for the ‘Creative Poster Competition’. The winners were:

  • First place: Mr Sameer Cuncolkar (Psychologist, Helpage NGO, Goa)
  • Second place: Dr Prasun P (Assistant Professor and in-charge, Palliative Medicine, ACTREC – TMC, Mumbai)
  • Third place: Mrs Vincy Sophia S (Senior Nursing Officer, JIPMER, Puducherry)

62 oral papers were submitted. Winners as follows:

  • First place: Ms Shubha Pai (Psychologist, Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer hospital, Hyderabad)
  • Second place: Dr Priya Treesa Thomas (Social Worker, Additional Professor, NIMHANS, Bengaluru)
  • Third place: Dr Pratyasa Padhi (Senior Resident, IMS and SUM Hospital, Bhubaneshwar)

82 posters were presented during IAPCON 2024. Winners as follows:

  • First place: Dr Joris Gielen (Director, Center for Health Care Ethics, Pittsburgh, USA)
  • Second place: Dr Anuja Damani (Associate Professor, Department of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care, Kasturba Medical College and Hospital, Manipal)
  • Third place: Dr Richa Randhawa (2nd year resident, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Jaipur)

The ‘MT Bhatia Award’, an award instituted by Dr M T Bhatia and presented by the IAPC’s Gujarat Chapter was presented to Mr Athar Javeth (Assistant Professor, AIIMS Kalyani, West Bengal). Mr Javeth was awarded a cash prize of Rs 10,000 and a Certificate.

About 1,500 individuals participated in the ‘2.5 km walk for Palliative Care’ organised jointly by Sanjeevani – Life Beyond Cance and GCRI on Sunday, 11th February, 2024. The walk was successful in raising awareness about palliative care among the general community.

The Valedictory function was held on Sunday, 11th February, 2024. Dr Sushma Bhatnagar (President, IAPC), Dr Savita Butola (Secretary, IAPC), Dr M R Rajagopal (Chairman Emeritus, Pallium India), Dr M T Bhatia (Former Professor and Head, Department of Anesthesia and Pain Clinic, GCRI) and members of the Organising team of IAPCON 2024 were invited on the dias to conduct the valedictory ceremony and present awards from the various competitions.

Please click here to view the complete conference report submitted by the organising committee of IAPCON 2024. Please visit the gallery in the conference website to view a few images from the conference.

Key highlights from the IAPC’s AGBM held on 10th February, 2024

The IAPC’s Annual General Body meeting (AGBM) was held from 5:30 p.m. onwards on Saturday, 10th February, 2024, during IAPCON 2024, at the Auditorium, GCRI, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The key highlights from the AGBM as follows:

  • The results of the IAPC’s election (2024) was announced, by the election officers, Dr Sukdev Naik and Dr Arun Deka. Congratulations to Dr Geeta Joshi (President Elect), Dr Nishkarsh Gupta and Dr Sarita Singh (North Zone CC members), Dr Praneeth Suvvari and Dr Seema Rao (South Zone CC members) and Dr Raghu S Thota (West Zone CC member). The IAPC’s General Body authorised the IAPC’s CC body to complete the election process of identifying suitable candidates for the2 positions each for the IAPC’s CC Members for the North East Zone and East Zone, during their upcoming CC meeting.
  • The IAPC’s elections from 2025 onwards will be conducted online
  • IAPCON 2025: The proposal to organise the main conference of IAPCON 2025 (at Jammu) from Friday, 31st January, 2025, to Sunday, 2nd February, 2024, and organise the pre-conference workshop on Thursday, 30th January, 2025, was approved. IAPCON 2025 is being organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Chapter of IAPC in collaboration with AIIMS Jammu. Dr Rohit Lahori will be the Organising Secretary, IAPCON 2025, and Dr Anjum Khan Joad will be the Scientific Chair, IAPCON 2025.
  • The 33rd Annual International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPCON 2026) will be hosted by Sparsh Hospice at Hyderabad
  • Only IAPC members will henceforth be allowed to submit abstracts for paper or poster presentations for the subsequent IAPCONs.
  • The recordings of the Academy of Palliative Medicine’s Monday morning lectures will be accessible on the IAPC’s website only by the IAPC’s members.
  • Telangana’s request to form a Telangana State Chapter has been approved
  • The proposal to institute the ‘IAPC’s Award for Nurses’ has been approved
  • The Benefits of taking the IAPC’s organisational membership has been revamped
  • The resolution on the Academy of Palliative Medicine was discussed. The IAPC’s general body has authorised the IAPC Central Council to take the discussions further

The ‘IAPC’s Award for Nurses’ announced

The IAPC is delighted to announce the ‘IAPC’s Award for Nurses’. The decision to present the award was approved and announced during the IAPC’s Annual General Body meeting held on Saturday, 10th February, 2024, during IAPCON 2024.

The newly instituted award will be presented to encourage nursing in palliative care. The winner of the ‘IAPC’s Award for Nurses’ will receive a cash prize of Rs. 25,000/- (Twenty five thousand only), a citation and a medal.

A national level examination for nurses will be conducted in 2024 and the award will be presented during IAPCON 2025, which is scheduled to be held at AIIMS Jammu, between Friday, 31st January, 2025, and Sunday, 2nd February, 2025.

Further details regarding the guidelines, the selection process, and the timelines of the process will be announced shortly on the IAPC’s website and newsletter.

An ‘Excellence in Palliative Care Service Award’ and several other benefits unlocked for IAPC’s organisational members

The benefits of becoming an IAPC’s Organisational Member has gotten exciting! The IAPC’s General Body approved several benefits for an organisation becoming a member of the IAPC, at the IAPC’s Annual General Body meeting held on Saturday, 10th February, 2024, during IAPCON 2024.

The revamped Organisational membership benefits as follows:

  • Reduced IAPCON registration rates for 3 representatives from each of the IAPC’s Organisational Members
  • 3 representatives from each of the IAPC’s organisational members, will have voting privileges to elect the IAPC’s office bearers during the IAPC elections.
  • Members can apply for the IAPC’s ‘Excellence in Palliative Care Service Award’. The winner will receive a cash prize of Rs. 25,000/- (Twenty five thousand only) and a citation. Further details will be shared shortly.
  • Opportunity to participate in joint researches
  • Submit research proposals to the IAPC’s Ethics body, as per the prescribed guidelines which will shared subsequently.
  • Enjoy access to educational resources
  • Collaborate with IAPC to offer joint academic programs

To apply for organisational membership, the applicant organisation should be recommended by 3 existing IAPC Members. Once registered the Organisational membership is valid for a period of 10 years.

IAPC publishes the basics of palliative care in 6 editions of Times of India on 18th February, 2024

As a part of the IAPC’s advocacy efforts, informative content on the basics of palliative care were published in regional editions of 6 national dailies during February, 2024.

The publications aimed to sensitise the general community about the basics of palliative care. This informative content in English language, was placed in the Times of India editions of Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow and Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, 18th February, 2024.

The IAPC intends to follow up on this activity with a series of subsequent publications based upon the already published IAPC’s infographics. The next set of publications will also be featured in various regional languages.

IAPCON 2025: Register now to avail the early bird offer!

We are excited to announce that the 32nd Annual International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPCON 2025) will be held at the Auditorium of AIIMS Jammu, between Friday, 31st January, 2025, and Sunday, 2nd February, 2025. Pre-conference workshops have been slated for Thursday, 30th January, 2025.

The conference is themed, ‘Evidence based Palliative Care’.

IAPCON 2025 is organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Chapter of IAPC, in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jammu.

Further details will be updated shortly.

Please click here to visit the conference website for further information and to register for IAPCON 2025.

The IJPC’s January – March 2024 edition is now online

The Indian Journal of Palliative Care (IJPC) has recently published its January – March edition of the journal.

Please click here to read the current issue (Volume 30 and Issue 1) of the IJPC. The current issue features very interesting review articles, original articles, Case Reports, a short communication and a list of the reviewers from 2023.

The IJPC is the IAPC’s open-access peer-reviewed journal which is committed to publishing high-quality articles in the field of Palliative Care.

Please click here for further information about IJPC.

Tune in at 2:50 p.m. on 14th March, 2024, for a multilingual edition of ‘Singing for the Stars’

The IAPC and the Shankar Mahadevan Academy Nirvana (SMA Nirvana) invite you to join us at 2:50 p.m. on Wednesday, 14th March, 2024, for a national multilingual edition of ‘Singing for the Stars’.

This edition of musical evening of harmonies is dedicated to our friends from across the country.

Further details about the artist who will be presenting the evening of harmonies for March 2024 will be shared shortly. 

Don’t forget to join us at 2:50 p.m. on 14th March, 2024.

Update from the February event

The February edition of ‘Singing for the Stars’ was held on Wednesday, 14th February, 2024.

The evening of harmonies for the month was presented by Ms Narssimhan Kannan (A Vocalist and a Performing Artist), who kept the audience grooving with popular numbers in Hindi, Marathi, Kannada and Tamil. We apologise for the unforeseen technical glitches during the program, which might have negatively impacted the program quality.  

Team IAPC and Team SMA Nirvana take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to all those who joined us and for spreading smiles during the show.

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

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!

Please click here for guidance on how to update your details.

‘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.