Education and Training
222 clinicians participate in the ‘Part A’ component of the IAPC’s CCEPC in January 2024
191 Doctors and 31 Nurses from across the country participated in the ‘Part A’ component of the 8th online batch of the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Essentials of Palliative Care’ (CCEPC) held in January 2024.
The theoretical ‘Part A’ component of the course was held as half day sessions (Saturdays: 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sundays: 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) over 3 weekends (6th, 7th, 20th, 21st, 27th and 28th January 2024) with select clinical sessions held separately for Doctors and Nurses.
The course participants are now empowered to practise the basic principles of palliative care in everyday practice to improve patient care through proper communication and effective management of difficult symptoms.
The IAPC thanks all the course coordinators and the faculty for their consistent support towards the successful conduct of the program. The IAPC also thanks the course participants for sharing with us important feedback which will help us to further improve the quality of the course.
Applications invited for the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Palliative Care Pharmacy’
Applications are invited for the 5th online batch of the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Palliative Care Pharmacy’, scheduled to be held on Saturday, 16th March, 2024.
This is a basic course which aims to equip participants with adequate knowledge of commonly used drugs in Palliative Care for pain management and to manage other symptoms. The course will also cover Essential Narcotic Drugs and Narcotic Drugs, along with the technical legalities to procure, store, dispense and document the same.
The 7 hour course will be delivered in two parts; a virtual 4.5 hour Part A module and an in-person 2.5 hour Part B module.
While the course is primarily designed for candidates with a Diploma or a Degree in Pharmacy, Doctors (MBBS, BDS) are also eligible to participate in the course.
Please click here for further information and to register for the course.
Last chance to register for the ‘Certificate Course in Palliative Care’ offered jointly by PHFI and TIPS
Apply before Thursday, 15th February, 2024, to participate in the Public Health Foundation of India’s (PHFI) and Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences (TIPS), Pallium India’s joint program, the ‘Certificate Course in Palliative Care’.
MBBS graduates with a minimum of 3 years of clinical experience are eligible to apply for the virtual program which is scheduled to begin on Saturday, 24th February, 2024. The program offers an evidence based curriculum with case studies, and discussions with experts integrated to allow for interaction.
The modular course will be presented over 6 sessions between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturdays.
Please click here for further information and to register for the program.
HBCON 2024 conducted successfully by the Department of Palliative Medicine, St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru
The Department of Palliative Medicine at St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, successfully conducted HBCON 2024, a conference focussed on Home Based Palliative Care, on Friday, 5th January, 2024, and Saturday, 6th January, 2024, at Annex 3 Conference Hall, in St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru.
Experts from organisations providing homecare in and around Bengaluru and from neighbouring States were invited to participate at the two-day, in-person conference. Experts and delegates at the conference represented organisations such as the Bangalore Baptist Hospital (Bengaluru), Institute of Palliative Care (Thrissur), Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences (Trivandrum), MNJ Institute of Oncology (Hyderabad), Swamy Vivekananda Youth Movement (Mysore, Dharward, Hassan), Karunashraya (Bengaluru), NIMHANS homecare (Bengaluru), Shahib Thangal Humanitarian Trust (Calicut) and Cipla Foundation.
The insightful conference revolved around the themes of ‘Getting ready for home based care’, ‘Quality and safety of nursing procedures when done at home’, ‘Documentation and monitoring of home-based services’ and ‘Enhancing the quality of home-based end of life care’.
Dr Nandini Vallath (Head, Department of Palliative Medicine, St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences) shared that the depth and breadth of care standards that emerged through interactions amongst the participants were of high quality as they were very insightful and practical. She also added that the organising team was in the process of collating the discussion outputs and publishing the same as good practices under each of the conference themes. Please click here to catch glimpses from the conference.
‘GERIPALCON 2024’ conducted successfully at Chennai on 6th and 7th of January 2024
‘GERIPALCON2024’, a two-day in-person conference was conducted successfully at Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, on Saturday, 6th January, 2024, and Sunday, 7th January, 2024. Over 150 delegates participated in the conference themed ‘Challenges in Geriatric and Palliative Care’, which was organised jointly by the RMD Group of Hospitals and Trust and the Academy of Family Physicians, Tamil Nadu.
The Conference was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Padma Shri Dr M R Rajagopal (Chairman Emeritus, Pallium India; Director, Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences), the Guest of Honour, Dr K Balaji Singh (Dean of Faculties, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai) and the Special Guests, Dr S Anandan (Dean of Students, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai), Dr Sridhara Narayanan (Dean, Madha Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai), and Dr Riaz Ahmed (District Health System Project Officer and Task Force).
The conference brought together national and international experts from both fields of Geriatrics care (GC) and Palliative Care (PC) / Medicine under one roof. The Plenary sessions had presentations covering, diverse approaches in PC, the evolving PC Practice in India, the role of family physicians in integrating GC; governmental and non-governmental issues in PC and GC and the primary PC and the way forward etc. Invited sessions dealt with topics such as current needs and the integration of PC in family practice, dementia care, early neurological intervention, psychosocial aspects and communication, cancer pain management, Cancer cachexia, End-of-Life Care in different settings, post-covid challenges, polypharmacy, care giver burden and elderly abuse etc. Interactive panel discussions included insightful discussions on the future educational needs under changing demographics, and the availability of pain medications. Publishing select oral and poster presentations also added great value to the conference.
The TWCC’s and HCPC’s ‘Pediatric Palliative Medicine Fellowship Welcome and Graduation Ceremony’ was held on 11th January, 2024
The Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration (TWCC) and the Hyderabad Centre for Palliative Care (HCPC) virtually conducted their ‘Pediatric Palliative Medicine Fellowship Welcome and Graduation Ceremony’ on Thursday, 11th January, 2024.
Over 50 individuals participated in the event. The first part of the event celebrated the graduation of 4 paediatricians, from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Philippines, who completed their fellowship in 2024, while the second half of the ceremony, welcomed 5 new physicians from India, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Philippines who have just begun their fellowship training.
The Pediatric Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program, a collaborative training program between TWCC and HCPC, is a 1-year specialist training program for doctors. Since 2021, 10 pediatricians have successfully completed the program. These individuals have gone on to become leaders of new palliative care programs by working with their colleagues to teach and train other health professionals in their own countries and champion pediatric palliative care (PPC).
During the program, Dr Simon Sutcliffe (President, TWCC) shared, “I wish everyone success. We hope to help you train the professionals of today and the leaders of tomorrow in your healthcare systems. Our goal is to help you become confident, competent, and professional, so that you can achieve what you wish to do within your healthcare settings.”
Dr Megan Doherty (Program Director, PPC, TWCC) welcomed and congratulated the new and graduated fellows. She expressed her gratitude towards the faculty members who contributed to the success of the program. She also motivated the new fellows that the struggles and challenges that they may face in the coming year will be overcome by everyone, together, as a team. Dr Gayatri Palat (Director, HCPC; Co-Director, PPC fellowship program) highlighted the growing importance and recognition of the specialist field of PPC.
A workshop on ‘Managing Psychosocial and Spiritual Issues in Chronic Illnesses’ conducted in Siliguri between 11th and 13th January, 2024
A 16-hour in-person workshop on ‘Managing Psychosocial and Spiritual Issues in Chronic Illnesses’, was conducted successfully at the Inspiria Knowledge Campus, Himachal Vihar, Siliguri, West Bengal, between Thursday, 11th January, 2024, and Saturday, 13th January, 2024.
25 enthusiastic participants from varied backgrounds and from hospitals and nursing homes of SIliguri and Jalpaiguri, learnt about the basics of palliation to alleviate suffering and pain, with special focus on communication skills in palliation. The content of the workshop also delved into Distress evaluation, Empathy and Compassion in palliation. Despite being a rigorous and knowledgeable workshop, it was still filled with moments of fun and laughter.
The interactive workshop was led by Dr Seema R Rao (Associate Director (Education and Research), Karunashraya Institute for Palliative Care Education and Research (KIPCER), Bengaluru), Dr Michelle Norman (Lead, Counselling Department, KIPCER, Bengaluru) and Ms Keshav Sharma (Lead, Counselling services, Bagchi Karunashraya Palliative Care Center, Bubaneswar, Odisha).
Dr Pankaj Chowdhary (Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Palliative Physician, Shanti Nursing Home, Siliguri, West Bengal), shares that the workshop was a much needed training activity in the region as the understanding of Palliative Care and its benefits, even among the general community is fast gaining traction leading to a subsequent increase in demand for such services.
The workshop was an initiative of KIPCER-Karunashraya and was endorsed by the IAPC.
A cancer awareness and palliative care sensitisation organised jointly by the NSS-DTU, Dept. of Biotechnology DTU and DNipCare on 24th January, 2024
The National Service Scheme (NSS) and the Department of Biotechnology from the Delhi Technological University (DTU) in collaboration with DNipCare, New Delhi, organised a Cancer awareness and palliative care sensitisation for the Faculty and Students from DTU, and volunteers from the NSS-DTU, on Wednesday, 24th January, 2024.
Over 100 individuals who included faculty and students from DTU and the volunteers of NSS volunteers were sensitised regarding the basics of cancer and its prevention, the role and impact of community engagement and end-of-life care, during the 1.5 hour session organised at the Pragyan Hall, Administrative Block, DTU.
The session was inaugurated by Prof. Prateek Sharma (Vice chancellor, DTU) while the session was presented by Dr Jugal Kishore (Director, Prof. and HoD , Community Medicine, VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi) in which he touched upon the Disease and its prevention (Understanding of the Disease, Proactive Health Measures, Early detection and empowerment, and Perspectives of cancer patients) and also about Community Engagement and End-of-life care (Mobilising communities, Education and Stakeholder roles, basic principles and concept of palliative care, Rehabilitation and End-of-life focus, Bereavement support and an organ donation awareness).
The session was interactive and was attended by Mr K V Hamza (General Secretary, DNipCare), Mr Suresh T P (Secretary, DNipCare), Ms. Seema Prasad (Volunteer Coordinator, DNipCare), Ms Divya (Volunteer, DNipCare) etc. The session was an outcome of the initiative taken by Prof. S Indu (Dean, Students Welfare).
Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine, MPMMCC and HBCH, Varanasi, successfully conducts ‘PallEvolution 2024’ on 27th and 28th January, 2024
‘PallEvolution 2024’, an annual conference of pain, palliative and supportive care medicine, was organised by the Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine, Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Centre (MPMMCC) and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital (HBCH), Tata Memorial Center (TMC), Varanasi, on Saturday, 27th January, 2024, and Sunday, 28th January, 2024.
Over 80 delegates (Doctors, Nurses, Social workers, patient navigators and lab technicians) participated in the one and a half day in-person conference held at the IUCTE Auditorium, MPMMCC, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The conference was themed, ‘Interdisciplinary collaboration for compassionate comfort care’ as it aimed to bridge the gap between other specialties including Neurology, Nephrology, Pulmonology, Radiology, Gynaecology, Psychiatry, Oncology with Palliative Medicine.
Dr Ravi Kannan (Director, Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Center, Assam) graced the event as the Chief Guest, while Dr Sriram Yennu (Professor, MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Texas, USA) graced the conference as a Special Guest.
The conference was inaugurated by Dr Ravi Kannan, Dr Sriram Yennu, Dr Satyajit Pradhan (Director, MPMMCC and HBCH, TMC, Varanasi), and Dr Sudeep Gupta (Director, TMC) who joined online.
Over 60 expert faculty from across the country, presented at the excellent academic conference, which was conceptualised and delivered by Dr Somnath Dey (Organising Chairperson) and his team represented by Dr Kunal Ranjan Vinayak (Organising Secretary), Dr Pallavi Singh (Co Secretary), Dr Apurva Pandey (Convener of Scientific Committee) and Dr Vibha Saluja (Treasurer).
NHM, Uttar Pradesh, and KGMC, Lucknow, jointly train 80 Medical Officers in basics of palliative care between 26th and 28th December, 2023
A three-day training program in the basics of palliative care was organised for 80 in-service Doctors from the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Services, at the State Institute of Family and Health Welfare Office, Uttar Pradesh, between Tuesday, 26th December, 2023, and Thursday, 28th December, 2023.
The in-person training program was organised jointly by the National Health Mission (NHM), State Institute of Family and Health Welfare, Uttar Pradesh, and the Pain and Palliative Care Unit of King George Medical College (KGMC), Lucknow.
The Medical officers were trained in topics such as introduction to the principles and concepts of palliative care, pain management, managing other symptoms, End of life care, wound care, communication skills etc. The session on communication also involved trainees to participate in role-plays.
The interactive training sessions were presented by a team of faculty from KGMC, led by Dr Sarita Singh (Professor and In-charge, Pain and Palliative Care Unit, KGMC).
College of Nursing, AIIMS Deoghar, conducts a Nursing Officer training in Morphine Storage and Dispensing on 22nd December, 2023
Over 70 nursing officers from AIIMS Deoghar, were trained in morphine storage and dispensing in a one-day in-person session on Friday, 22nd December, 2023, at the College of Nursing, AIIMS Deoghar, Jharkhand.
The participants were also trained about the roles and responsibilities of nurses with respect to morphine prescription and the mechanisms to correctly store and dispense morphine for patients suffering from life limiting diseases.
Prof. C Vasantha Kalyani (Principal, College of Nursing, AIIMS Deoghar) introduced the participants to the concept of palliative care nursing before proceeding to highlight the various models used in palliative care nursing. Dr Kusum Kumari (Associate Professor, College of Nursing, AIIMS Deoghar) then presented a session to train participants on the safe storage, dispensing and a nurses role and responsibilities towards patients who are on Morphine.
Update from APM’s lecture series
Report on activities in January
The palliative care community began the new year with a session from the Academy of Palliative Medicine’s online Lecture Series 1. A total of 4 lectures were delivered in January, 2024. The current series will deliver a total of 37 lectures which will be delivered by Students of MD and DNB in Palliative Medicine from across the country and moderated by a Faculty from their respective center.
The first session for the month was a fantastic presentation on ‘Setting up of community palliative care program’ which was presented by Dr Richa Geo and moderated by Dr Rajashree K C. A comprehensive session on ‘How to set up a palliative care department in a teaching hospital’, presented by Dr Anju P V and moderated by Dr Lekha Vijayakumar Raval followed next. The third session for the month was an interesting presentation on ‘Community engagement and partnership in capacity building for palliative care’ presented by Dr Varun T M and moderated by Dr Anshita Sharma. The sessions for January concluded with a superb presentation on ‘Unmet Needs of Relatives of Patients with Advanced Cancer in the Last Year of Life’ presented by Dr Kunal Das and moderated by Dr Anuja Damani.
There was no lecture presented on 15th January (Shankrathi / Lohri), 2024.
We thank our speakers and the moderators for sharing their time and expertise to enrich the knowledge of the palliative care’s community.
Sessions planned for February 2024
We invite you to join us for the lectures scheduled for February. Details below:
