Announcements / Messages from IAPC

IAPC’s Infographic of the month: ‘Palliative Care at Home’

In continuation of our infographic series on “Care Continuum” published in the month of June this year, the IAPC is excited to present the 3rd part of this series, an infographic on “Palliative Care at Home” this month.

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 infographics published till date.

We thank Dr. Wasimul Hoda (Fellow in Pain Medicine, Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, AIIMS New Delhi) for his valuable support towards this initiative.

“Theme Song of the IAPC” – Submit Your Entries by 15th September, 2025

The Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) reminds all members and well-wishers that the competition to pen the official Theme Song of the IAPC is nearing its close. If you haven’t yet submitted your entry, please do so before the final deadline on 15th September, 2025. Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your creativity and contribute to a historic initiative of the Association. The IAPC warmly invite lyricists, poets, musicians, and all members of the palliative care community to contribute their creative vision through a powerful and inspiring song. This unique initiative is a chance to lend your voice and creativity to a theme song that will capture and represent the mission, values, and spirit of palliative care across the nation.

Why Participate?

  • Be part of a historic milestone for the IAPC.
  • Showcase your talent to the wider palliative care community.
  • Contribute to a lasting creative legacy that will inspire and unite.

We encourage everyone with a love for words, music, and compassion to participate.

The details about guidelines, submission format, and deadlines are available on the IAPC website.

Let your creativity echo the voice of care, compassion, and dignity.

National Essay Writing & Photography Competitions

In commemoration of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (11th October, 2025), the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) is delighted to announce its Essay Writing and Photography Competitions. These events are open to palliative care professionals, volunteers, caregivers, and individuals receiving palliative care, offering a platform to celebrate creativity, compassion, and advocacy for universal access to palliative care.

Essay Writing Competition

Topic: How can we achieve universal access to palliative care in India? Challenges, innovations, and your vision

Word Limit: 1000–1500 words

Submit here: Essay Submission Form

Photography Competition

Theme: Faces, Places, and Moments of Compassion: Capturing Universal Access to Palliative Care

Guidelines: One original photo per participant with a short caption (max 60 words)

Submit here: Photography Submission Form

Last Date for Submissions of entires for these competitions:  25th September,  2025

🏆 Prizes (for both competitions)

  • 1st place: Rs. 10,000
  • 2nd place: Rs. 7,500
  • 3rd place: Rs. 5,000

Certificates: Jointly issued by IAPC and the World Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA).

Let’s celebrate creativity, compassion, and the vision for universal access to palliative care! For details please click here.

Join us for the Word Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) Webinar Series

The Indian Association of Palliative Care warmly invites you to the 2nd  webinar in its WHPCD series. The upcoming session will be held in September 2025 on the theme “Implement Palliative Care Policies to Improve Access – A focused dialogue on policy implementation, integration, and health systems strengthening.”

This series will conclude in October 2025 with the 3rd  and final webinar titled “Equity and Innovation: Advancing Universal Access to Palliative Care in India.” This national-level event will feature leading voices in policy, clinical care, innovation, and lived experience, and will also serve as the flagship program commemorating World Hospice and Palliative Care Day.

Empowering Voices: A Dynamic Launch to the IAPC’s WHPCD Webinars

The inaugural session of the IAPC’s WHPCD webinar series, held on Saturday, 30th August, 2025, received an overwhelming response with enthusiastic participation from across the country and beyond. The theme “Empowering People and Compassionate Communities” focused on local innovations and community engagement.

Distinguished speakers included Dr Kerry Noonan (Director, Death Literacy Institute, Australia), Dr Suresh Kumar (Director, WHOCC for Country Capacity Building in Palliative Care, India), Dr N. M. Mujeeb Rahman (Medical Director, Institute of Palliative Medicine, Kozhikode), Dr Nandan Choudhary (Consultant, Supportive and Palliative Medicine, Karkinos Manipur Cancer Care Institute, Imphal), and Mr Saif (Consultant, Public Health and Palliative Care International).

Marked by brilliant presentations, the session drew more than 150 participants from across India and overseas. Dr Geeta Joshi (President, IAPC) delivered the welcome address, and Mr Terrymize I (Program Manager: Projects and Advocacy, IAPC) moderated the event.

IAPC – West Bengal State Chapter Hosts Its First Conference

The Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) is delighted to announce the Inaugural Conference of the West Bengal State Chapter (WB IAPCON 2025) of the Indian Association of Palliative care.  The conference will be held on 23rd November, 2025 at Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata.  Pre-conference workshops will be held on 22nd November, 2025.

This landmark academic event marks an important milestone for the palliative care movement in West Bengal and aims to bring together clinicians, nurses, researchers, caregivers, and volunteers to exchange knowledge, build capacity, and strengthen collaborative efforts. The conference will provide a platform for dialogue on best practices, innovations, and challenges in palliative care, while the pre-conference workshops will offer participants hands-on learning experiences across key areas of practice.

Pre-Conference Workshops (22nd November 2025)

Topics & Venues:

  • Cancer Pain – Dr. Saroj Gupta Cancer Center and Research Institute, Thakurpukur
  • Communication – Tata Medical Center, Rajarhat
  • Nursing Issues in Palliative Care – Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Rajarhat

For more details and registration visit the conference website.

IAPCON 2026: Registrations Open for Volunteer Focused Track

The organisers of the 33rd Annual International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPCON 2026) are delighted to announce the opening of registrations for the Volunteer Focused Track (VFT).

This special track is designed to recognise and celebrate the invaluable role of volunteers in palliative care. Registration is available at Rs. 1500/- (inclusive of GST) for volunteers attending the dedicated VFT session on 15th February 2026, as per the guidelines of the track.

The organising team warmly invites volunteers to be a part of this unique opportunity to learn, share experiences, and strengthen the spirit of service in palliative care.

Details on VFT:

  1. Those registered under Volunteer Focused Track can participate only in the plenary session and valedictory function on 15th February 2026  followed by lunch.
  2. Delegates registered under the Volunteer Focused Track can also participate only in the free poster session on 15th February, 2026.

For registration, please visit the conference website.

IAPCON 2026, co-hosted by Sparsh Hospice–Centre for Palliative Care and Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute, will be held between Friday, 13th and Sunday, 15th February, 2026 at the National Institute of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (NIMSME), Hyderabad. The pre-conference workshop will take place on Thursday, 12th February, 2026. The theme of the conference, “Continuum of Care: Hospital, Hospice, and Home,” resonates with the importance of ensuring seamless and comprehensive care for patients across all stages of their healthcare journey, emphasizing collaboration and holistic support in diverse care settings.

IAPCON 2026: Submit Your Abstracts and Compete for Awards – Submission Deadline 1st December 2025

The Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) has announced awards worth a total of Rs. 4,00,000 for winners of paper and poster presentations at the 33rd Annual International Conference of the IAPC (IAPCON 2026).

These prestigious awards will be under four distinct categories:

  1. Doctors
  2. Doctors (Students) – MD/DNB students from any speciality and students pursuing full-time, offline fellowships in any speciality
  3. Nurses
  4. Others – including Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Psychologists, Counsellors, Social Workers, Volunteers, and allied professionals

Each category will have three awards each for both paper and poster presentations:

  • First Prize: Rs 25,000 and a certificate
  • Second Prize: Rs 15,000 and a certificate
  • Third Prize: Rs 10,000 and a certificate

A total of 24 prizes (12 for paper presentations and 12 for poster presentations), across the four categories, will be awarded at IAPCON 2026.

Click here for further details regarding the IAPC’s awards.

For details of abstract submission categories and guidelines, please click here.

‘Singing for the Stars’: Update from the August 2025 event

The August 2025 edition of Singing for the Stars, the much-loved virtual musical evening, was held at 2:55 p.m. on Wednesday, 20th August 2025. The program, co-hosted by the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) and the Shankar Mahadevan Academy Nirvana, turned out to be a heartwarming celebration of compassion through music.

Young singer and performing artist Ms. Vanshika Nagda accompanied by Mr. Rahul Krishnan on Guitar enthralled the audience with melodious renditions. Our heartfelt gratitude to Vanshika and Rahul! Congratulations to the compassionate young musicians for the amazing performance!  We wish you all the best!

The evening was marked by unforgettable moments that deeply moved everyone present. One of the most emotionally moving moments of the evening was when Ms. Padma, despite being in the midst of her most challenging days, sang a devotional bhajan from her bed in the in-patient ward, gently supported and encouraged by Ms. Maya Nair (Palliative Care Patient Educator, Sri Aurobindo Medical College & P. G. Institute, Indore– SAIMS, Indore). We extend our sincere thanks to Ms. Maya Nair for her wholehearted commitment to celebrating the true stars of palliative care—the individuals receiving care.

Adding further joy, the ever-inspiring singer Ms. Rajni Yadre joined the event and performed a soulful song that lifted everyone’s spirits.

The live program was broadcast by many institutions, including SAIMS Indore, Anna Adhirugam Hospice (Kumbakonam), and BBCI, Guwahati.

Healthcare professionals, carers, and volunteers also joined the event, bringing warmth and smiles to the real stars during some of their toughest journeys.

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 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.

Details of current vacancies are:

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.