Announcements / Messages from IAPC

IAPC’s Infographic of the month

The October Infographic focuses on the concept of ‘Emergencies 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 Anesthesia, RIMS, Ranchi) for his enthusiasm and constant support towards this initiative.


IAPC’s Election Notification

Notice is hereby given to all members of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC), that elections (if any) for it’s office bearers will be held on Saturday, 1st February, 2025, during IAPCON 2025.

Nominations are invited for the following posts:

  • Secretary, IAPC (2026 – 2029) (Secretary Elect from 2025 – 2026; Secretary from 2026 – 2029)
  • Central Council Members (2025 – 2027)
    • West Zone (1 member)

Please note the relevant and important dates:

  • Last date to submit online nomination: 5 p.m. on Tuesday, 10th December, 2024
  • Last date to withdraw nomination: Friday, 10th January, 2025
  • Election date (If needed): Saturday, 1st February, 2025

Interested candidates are requested to email the scanned copy of the signed and completed nomination and CV form to the Secretary, IAPC, at iapcelections@gmail.com before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, 10th December, 2024. Nominations submitted to any other email address will NOT BE accepted.

Please note that Applicants must use one form for one nomination.

Please click here to know more about the eligibility criteria and to download the nomination and CV form.

In case of any queries, please write to the IAPC’s secretariat at nioiapc@gmail.com or assistant.nio.iapc@gmail.com.


The IAPC’s Gold Medal for Nurses 2024: Results from the Step 1 Online Screening Examination

We are excited to announce the winners from the Step 1 Online Screening Examination for the ‘IAPC’s Gold Medal for Nurses 2024’. The finalists from this examination are as follows (names shown in alphabetical order):

  • Ms Deepika, Chhattisgarh
  • Ms Maheshwari, Chhattisgarh
  • Ms Meenu Yadav, Rajasthan
  • Mr Sandeep Singh, Punjab 
  • Ms Sneha P, Kerala  
  • Ms Surabhi Mondal, West Bengal 

Our warm congratulations to each of them!

These individuals will now proceed to participate in the Step 2, In-person final examination, scheduled to be held on Monday, 28th October, 2024, at the Institute of Palliative Medicine (IPM), Kozhikode, Kerala.

Please click here to know more about the ‘IAPC’s Gold Medal for Nurses 2024’. 


Submit entries before 6th October, 2024, to participate in ‘Share the Progress of your Institution’s Journey in Palliative Care’

Grab your last chance to submit your institution’s entries before 11 p.m. on Sunday, 6th October, 2024, to participate in the IAPC’s initiative ‘Share the Progress of Your Institution’s Journey in Palliative Care’ and showcase the dedication of your institution and illustrate the meaningful impact your institution has made in the community you serve.

Designed to commemorate this year’s World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD), the initiative presents an opportunity for institutions providing palliative care services across India to share and celebrate their unique journey in palliative care. The initiative also dovetails this year’s WHPCD’s theme, ‘Ten Years Since the Resolution: How are we doing?‘, as it aims to highlight the remarkable milestones and compassionate care practices that have shaped the palliative care landscape in India.

Please click here for further information and submission guidelines.

Submissions once screened by the IAPC, will be published on the IAPC’s website on Saturday, 12th October, 2024.


IAPCON 2025: Conference and Pre-conference registrations invited! Submit abstracts for presentation! Interesting prizes announced!

Registrations are invited for the 32nd Annual International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPCON 2025), scheduled to be held at the Auditorium of AIIMS Jammu, between Friday, 31st January, 2025, and Sunday, 2nd February, 2025.

The theme for IAPCON 2025 is ‘Evidence based Palliative Care’

Pre-conference workshops are slated for Thursday, 30th January, 2025, and will feature 15 very exciting and innovative workshops, some of which are being organised for the first time at IAPCON. These interesting pre-conference workshops are being led by expert palliative care professionals from across the country. For further details regarding the pre-conference workshops, please click here.

Researchers are urged to leverage the upcoming scientific platform by submitting abstracts of their work in palliative care for presentation at the conference. The ‘MT Bhatia Award for Best Poster presentation for Nurses’ will present the winner with a cash prize and a certificate. The ‘IAPC’s Award for Doctors’ will be awarded to winners of the 3 best poster presentations and 3 best oral presentations. Each awardee will from both categories will receive a cash prize and a certificate. The ‘IAPC’s Award for Nurses, Social Workers, Physiotherapists, Pharmacists, Psychologists, and Volunteers’ will be awarded to winners of the 3 best poster presentations and 3 best oral presentations. Each awardee will from both categories will receive a cash prize and a certificate. Please click here to read further information about abstract submissions.

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

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


The ICPCN’s Digital toolkit is now available!

The International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) has published their digital toolkit to celebrate this year’s ‘Hats On for Children’s Palliative Care Campaign for 2024’ which will be observed on Friday, 11th October, 2024.

The campaign is a day for raising international awareness of the need for children’s palliative care and the work of Children’s Palliative Care (CPC) services worldwide.

Extending this year’s WHPCD theme, the campaign organisers this year want to ask their supporters, “What hat will you wear to close the gap?”They go on to share that each of us wear different hats (care-givers, paeditricians, nurses, oncologists, parents, teachers, donors, advocates, etc.) everyday while working to care for and improve the lives of children living with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. So whichever hat one has chosen to wear or has been handed through life’s circumstances, everyone is encouraged to make their voice heard by joining this year’s #HatsOn4CPC campaign.

Please click here for further information on this, and click here to access the digital toolkit.


Tune in at 3:50 p.m. on 8th October, 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 3:50 p.m. on Tuesday, 8th October, 2024, for a national multilingual edition of ‘Singing for the Stars’.

This edition of the program is dedicated to our friends from across the country.

The evening of harmonies will be presented by Ms Himangi Vishwaroop (Vocalist, Song Composer, Music Educator and a Performing Artist).

Don’t forget to join us at 3:50 p.m. on 8th October, 2024.

Update from the September event

The September edition of ‘Singing for the Stars’ was held at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 18th September, 2024.

An energetic and power packed performance was presented by Mr Anirudh Kashivishvanathan (Singer, Vocal Coach, Composer, and Performing Artist) and his band ‘Chutney’ represented by Mr Anirudh on Vocals, Mr Prajith Nair on Cajon Drums, Mr Sahil Iyer on Acoustic Guitar and Mr Bharat Sundar on the Key board. The enthusiastic team kept the audience swaying as they presented popular numbers in Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam.

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


New vacancies from across the country are now published in the IAPC’s Careers page

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.