Education and Training
Apply before 7th June, 2024, to participate in the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in the Physiotherapy – Palliative Care interface’
Grab the last chance to apply for the fifth batch of the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in the Physiotherapy – Palliative Care interface’, scheduled to be held on Saturday, 15th June, 2024.
The one-day certificate course aims to not only enhance a physiotherapists’ understanding of how they can contribute towards the rendering of holistic palliative care, but also strives to educate the palliative care community on how physiotherapy can augment their patient care and symptom management.
Physiotherapists (BPT and MPT), Doctors practising Palliative Medicine (MBBS / BDS), and Nurses practising Palliative Care (BSc Nursing, Diploma in Nursing, or GNM) are invited to register for the course.
The course will be conducted between 8:45 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, 15th June, 2024, and will be delivered by expert faculty from across the country. Please click here for further information and to register for the same.
Don’t forget that the last date to register for the course is Friday, 7th June, 2024.
Applications invited for the July 2024 batch of the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Essentials in Palliative Care’
Applications are invited for the 9th online batch of the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Essentials in Palliative Care (CCEPC)’.
The IAPC’s CCEPC is a basic course in palliative care which is intended for doctors and nurses. The course aims to inculcate the principles of palliative care in every day practice for doctors and nurses to improve patient care through proper communication and management of symptoms.
The 9th online batch of the IAPC’s CCEPC will be delivered in two parts: A mandatory theory ‘Part A’ component and a practical hands-on ‘Part B’ component (recommended but optional).
The theoretical ‘Part A’ component of the upcoming batch will be held as half day sessions over 3 weekends (Saturdays: 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sundays: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.) on 6th, 7th, 13th, 14th, 20th and 21st July, 2024. Select Clinical sessions will be held separately for Doctors and Nurses.
Click here for further information about the course and to submit e-applications.
Please note that Monday, 1st July, 2024, is the last date to submit applications to participate in the program.
Applications invited for the ‘APM Basic Certificate Course in Palliative Medicine – A Blended Learning Program’
The Academy of Palliative Medicine (APM) is inviting applications for their maiden batch of the ‘APM Basic Certificate Course in Palliative Medicine – A Blended Learning Program’.
The course aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to deliver basic palliative care. Doctors will learn the core concepts and benefits of palliative care for seriously ill patients. The course covers symptom and distress assessment, management techniques (both medication and non-medication), communication skills for difficult conversations, ethical decision-making, and end-of-life care for patients and families.
Doctors (post MBBS / or any broad or super speciality) who are interested to work in palliative medicine are encouraged to register in the 6-month program which is scheduled to begin from Thursday, 4th July, 2024.
The course will feature 8 modules which will be delivered over 6 months and include 600 hours of curated blended learning. The course is designed to be delivered via a combination of self-study, asynchronous, and synchronous (4 hours per week; every Friday and Saturday between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.) learning through a Learning Management System, plus a 5-day face-to-face and a 12-day clinical attachment component with a summative face-to-face exam at the end.
Registration is on a first-come basis, and the number of participants will be capped at 30.
For further information and to register for the course please contact 6361646682 / apm.iapc@gmail.com.
The ‘Part A’ component of the IAPC’s Certificate Course in Palliative Care for Volunteers held successfully in May, 2024
The 16-hour virtual and theoretical ‘Part A’ component of the fourth online batch of the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Palliative Care for Volunteers’ concluded successfully on Saturday, 18th May, 2024.
The ‘Part A’ component of the course was delivered over 6 days (2 hours each during the weekdays and 4 hours over the weekend) between 9th – 10th May (Thursday – Saturday), 2024, and 16th– 18th May (Thursday – Saturday), 2024.
During the 6 days, course participants were empowered with the relevant knowledge and interpersonal skills needed to volunteer in palliative care settings. They were also trained in the basics of communication skills, counselling skills, and sensitised towards the various psycho-social issues and its management, which a volunteer might potentially be faced with.
Course participants will now proceed to the ‘Part B’ component of the program, which is a 16-hour observership in any recognised palliative care unit. Those successfully completing both components of the program will be eligible to receive course completion certificates.
The IAPC thanks Dr Ganpathy KV, the volunteer program course coordinator, and also all the faculty for their support towards this program.
Applications invited for the ‘2025 Pediatric Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program’
Applications are invited for the ‘2025 Pediatric Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program’, a joint initiative of the Hyderabad Centre for Palliative Care and Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration. The program is endorsed by the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (UK).
The one-year fellowship program aims to build the capacity of physicians and provide comprehensive subspecialty training in pediatric palliative care for course participants to become leaders while also providing palliative care services for children across South and Southeast Asia. The program is designed to include a combination of clinical and online training provided by a dedicated team of international, regional and local palliative care experts and specialists.
Those empowered with a post-graduate medical degree (preferably in Peadiatrics) are encouraged to apply for the fellowship. Those with post-graduate medical degree in other clinical specialty, are required to clearly state (in the statement of interest) how their previous work and experience would ensure that they have sufficient knowledge of pediatrics to complete this fellowship.
Please note that this program is ONLY for pediatricians in South and Southeast Asia. Applicants from other regions will NOT be accepted.
Interested candidates are requested to apply for the program before Wednesday, 10th July, 2024.
Please click here to download the Fellowship Prospectus and Application Form. For details about the training program, please write to: programsprojectmanager@twoworldscancer.ca.
Applications invited for the ‘Advanced Certificate Course in Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care’
Applications are invited for the ‘Advanced Certificate Course in Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care’ offered jointly by the Pain and Palliative Care Chapter of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), the Pain Relief and Palliative Care Society (PRPCS), Hyderabad, and the Romila Palliative Care Center, SNEHA, Mumbai.
Said to be the first of its kind in India, the course is an intensive hybrid 6-month program which includes online teaching which will be followed by a 2-week in-person observership / clinical rotation at designated palliative care centers, such as PRPCS (Hyderabad), B J Wadia (Mumbai), Tata Memorial Hospital (Mumbai) and VHS (Chennai).
Pediatricians (MD, DCH or DNB) who have either completed the IAP’s basic Pediatric Palliative Care (PPC) course or those with a minimum of 1 year full time clinical experience in PPC, or Pediatric Oncologists / Pediatric Intensivists / Neonatologists / Pediatricians who are interested in PPC and have completed a minimum of 5 modules of the ICPCN’s online certifications are eligible to apply for the course.
The course is scheduled to begin on Saturday, 22nd June, 2024. The last date to apply for this program is Monday, 10th June, 2024.
For further information or incase of any queries please write to the team at iapppctraining@gmail.com.
Applications invited for Karunashraya’s ‘Government Accredited General Duty Assistant Training Program’
Applications are invited for the ‘Government Accredited General Duty Assistant Training Program’ offered by Bangalore Hospice Trust – Karunashraya (BHT – K) in affiliation with the Healthcare Sector Skill Council, India.
Individuals between the age of 18 and 25 years with a minimum 10th Standard qualification are eligible to apply for the 6-month in-person training program in patient care which aims to equip participants with necessary skills to foster self-reliance. There is no course fee for the program.
During the period of training at Bengaluru, all participants will receive a stipend, while female participants will also be provided with free accommodation.
For further information, please reach the team at BHT – K at kipcer@karunashraya.org / +91 9886036567.
The last date to apply for the program is Monday, 15th July, 2024.
IGMCRI, Puducherry, organised a session on ‘Addressing Pain in Palliative Care’ on 3rd May, 2024
The Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (IGMCRI), Puducherry, organised a one-day sensitisation session on ‘Addressing Pain in Palliative Care’ on Friday, 3rd May, 2024, at the Auditorium of the Institute. The session was organised jointly by the Department of Anaesthesiology and Department of Community Medicine from IGMCRI.
Over 40 individuals who included Medical Interns, Post Graduates and Faculty from both the Department of Anaesthesiology and Department of Community Medicine, attended the session.
The in-person program focussed on introducing the gathering to the assessment and management of pain in palliative care. The sessions therefore covered topics such as Introduction to palliative care, the Mechanism of Pain, the various Assessment Tools of Pain, Management of Pain, and the Role of Interventions in the management of difficult pain. This was followed by a very interactive panel discussion on Difficult Pain. The sessions for the day concluded with introducing Sanjeevan Palliative Care: An integral approach to end of life care.
The sessions were presented by Faculty from IGMCRI, the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Sanjeevan Palliative Care and the Institute of Palliative Medicine.
Over 20 individuals participated in ‘Chai pe Charcha: A conversation on death and dying’ on 4th May, 2024
The first edition of ‘Chai pe Charcha: A conversation on death and dying’ conceptualised and delivered by Dr Asha Deshmukh (Intensivist, Nine Pearls Hospital, Nasik) and Dr Pallavi Chaudhari (Head, Physiotherapy, Nine Pearls Hospital, Nasik) was held virtually on Saturday, 4th May, 2024.
The series was born out of Dr Deshmukh’s inspiration after listening to an online podcast revolving around this topic and also from her heart wrenching experiences from watching caregivers of her patients struggle while making critical decisions outside the ICU.
The series aims to create a commonplace where participants can eventually understand that death is a natural process in life’s trajectory and to make talking about it as natural as drinking tea, or birthing, or the sunrise, or as love itself.
Ms Smriti Rana (Head, Strategic Programs and Partnerships, Pallium India) and Ms Sadhvi Gupta (Caregiver) graced the occasion as speakers for the first session from the series. Sharing stories of grief and brainstorming ways to engage and change the community’s perception towards the phenomenon of death were also discussed during the session.
The session for June 2024, ‘What is Good Death?’ will be presented by Dr M R Rajagopal (Chairman Emeritus, Pallium India) and Ms Anusha (Caregiver) at 5 p.m. on Saturday, 8th June, 2024. Those interested to join the session can contact Dr Deshmukh at betsasha@gmail.com.
The Amravati Neurosociety in association with the IMA and APA Amravati organised a CME on ‘Palliative and End of Life Care’ on 5th May, 2024
The Amravati Neurosociety in association with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Association of Physicians (APA) Amravati, had organised a CME on ‘Palliative and End of Life Care’ on Sunday, 5th May, 2024, at Prime Park, Amravati, Maharashtra.
The in-person CME was attended by over 60 general physicians and neuro physicians from the region and aimed to sensitise the audience about the benefits and need for integrating the principles of palliative and end of life care in one’s daily practice.
During the half-day CME, Dr Nagesh Simha (Medical Director, Karunashraya) and Dr Roop Gursahani (Consultant, Neurologist and Epileptologist, P D Hinduja National Hospital, Mumbai) introduced the concept of palliative care, its essentials techniques and process, mechanisms to organise palliative care services, Quality of death and dying trajectories at end of life, and the prognostication of managing the dying. Participants were also treated to an interactive communication workshop which touched upon breaking bad news and how to have serious illness and end of life communications.
Dr Chandrashekar Meshram (Senior Neurologist, Nagpur) was also felicitated on the occasion in recognition of his contribution to healthcare.
60 pulmonologists from across India sensitised in palliative care communication on 4th and 5th May, 2024, in Bengaluru
60 Pulmonologists from across the country were sensitised in the basics of palliative care and communication skills, during the ILDxpert Conclave held at the Taj Bangalore, on Saturday, 4th May, 2024, and Sunday, 5th May, 2024.
The conclave was organised by Cipla Pharma to enrich, mentor and empower the next generation of pulmonologists to become proficient Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) specialists.
During the conclave, delegates were sensitised to the importance of integrating palliative care in the management of ILD during different sections of the conclave. An interactive 2-hour palliative care communication workshop which included role plays using the fish bowl technique, was presented by pulmonologists and palliative care physicians, and moderated by expert palliative care faculty from across the country. This workshop aimed to showcase how palliative care can be integrated in a pulmonologist’s everyday practice and also highlight the benefits of such integration in delivering quality care. The workshop was conducted by Dr Amelia Michael, Dr Anshu Punjabi, Dr Murali Mohan, Dr Rajam Iyer, Dr Rajani Bhat, Dr Sujeet Rajan, Dr Seema Rao, Dr Shivkumar Iyer and Dr Vidya Viswanath.
The success of this workshop has resulted in the call to have a focused two-day, in-person, palliative care communication workshop exclusively for pulmonologists from across the country.
Senior Managers of L&T from Chennai and Vizag sensitised in the basics of Palliative Care in April and May 2024
90 Senior Managers from Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and 25 Senior Managers from Vizag, Andhra Pradesh, were sensitised in the basics of Palliative Care during April and May 2024.
The sessions at both centers were presented by Dr Ganpathy KV (PhD; Clinical Psychologist, volunteer counsellor Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, National faculty, IAPC) at Chennai on Monday, 22nd April, 2024, and Tuesday, 23rd April, 2024; and on Wednesday, 8th May, 2024.
Both sessions covered the basic why and what of palliative care, which included the concept and principles of palliative care, who it can be delivered to, where it can be delivered, the basics of advance care planning etc.
This session was organised as a part of L&T’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. Over the past year, L&T has conducted a series of such sessions across their offices spread throughout the country to raise awareness and increase acceptance of palliative care within the general community.
Over 200 individuals sensitised about the role of palliative care in Thalassemia on 8th May, 2024
Over 200 individuals were sensitised as part of the World Thalassemia Day event organised by the Department of Paediatrics, at the Sri Guru Ram Das University of Health Sciences (SGRDUHS), Amritsar, Punjab.
The gathering represented a combination of Thalassemia patients, caregivers, volunteers, and a few healthcare professionals. Dr Harjot Singh (Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, SGRDUHS) sensitised the audience about the concept of palliative care, the need to focus on a patient’s Quality of Life, importance of addressing the psychosocial issues of patients and their caregivers (eg. Discussions around a patient’s employment, marriage etc.) which would potentially affect one’s Quality of life.
The event was attended by senior pediatricians from Amritsar, Dr K S Manchanda and Dr Sudesh Sharma, both of who acknowledged the efforts and dedication of Dr Gursharan Singh (Head, Department of Paediatrics, SGRDUHS) and his team towards serving these children. Several Rotarians, Dr Arti Arora, Dr Raman Gupta, Dr Jaspreet Sobti, Mr Rajesh Arora, Dr Arpita Kansal also graced the occasion. Dr Shruti Kakkar (Associate Professor, DMC Ludhiana, Punjab), also partipated in the session and enriched the event with her insights and expertise.
The event concluded with heartwarming dance and singing performances by the children.
The first ‘North-East Palliative Care Conclave 2024’ was held on 18th May, 2024, at Guwahati, Assam
India’s first ‘North-East Palliative Care Conclave 2024’ was held on Saturday, 18th May, 2024, at the NEDFI, Guwahati, Assam. The conclave was organised by Capecare Foundation in association with the Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine, State Cancer Institute, Guwahati, Assam.
The conclave was designed to share knowledge and best practices to promote the growth and development of palliative care from across the region.
60 professionals from the region participated in the one-day conclave which was very insightful and interactive. The participating delegates had opportunities to listen to sessions on Leadership in palliative care, Challenges of NGOs rendering palliative care, Spirituality, Palliative care as a career option, Opioid rotation, Challenges in pediatric palliative care, Early integration of palliative care and Quality of Life, Respite Care, Integrating geriatric care with palliative care in District Hospitals, Bed sores management, Nutrition in palliative care etc.
Conference delegates were also treated to two panel discussions (NDPS Act and safe use of opioids; and Metastatic Bone Pain – Palliative Approach) and a riveting Quiz.
All sessions during the conclave was presented by faculty from the region.
Update from APM’s lecture series
Report on activities in May 2024
The ‘Academy of Palliative Medicine’s online Lecture Series 1’ concluded with 3 very interesting lectures in May, 2024. This lecture series delivered a total of 38 lectures every monday morning between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. All lectures from the series were presented by students of MD and DNB in Palliative Medicine from across the country and was moderated by a Faculty from their respective center.
A total of 187 lectures have been delivered till date as part of the monday morning lecture series with 149 lectures being delivered as part of the IAPC Academy’s online lecture Series 1 to 6, and 38 lectures being delivered as a part of the Academy of Palliative Medicine’s online Lecture Series 1.
The first presentation in May was a comprehensive presentation on ‘Challenges and Opportunities of Providing Palliative Care for People with Intellectual and developmental disabilities’ presented by Dr Isha Jatin Shah and moderated by Dr Jayita Deodhar. This was followed by an eye opening session on ‘Spiritual Concerns of Children with Life-limiting and Life-threatening Conditions’ presented by Dr Bhawesh Pangaria and moderated by Dr Santosh K Chaturvedi. The final presentation for the series was a very interesting presentation on ‘Antimicrobial therapy in palliative care’ presented by Dr S Rathipriya and moderated by Dr Kalpana Balakrishnan.
The IAPC thanks all our speakers and moderators for sharing their time and expertise to enrich the knowledge of the palliative care’s community.
The Academy of Palliative Medicine’s (APM) online Lecture Series 2 announced!
We are thrilled to announce that the ‘Academy of Palliative Medicine’s online Lecture Series 2’ will begin from Monday, 3rd June, 2024, at 6:30 a.m.
The upcoming Lecture Series will present a total of 15 lectures focussing on ‘Psychosocial Issues in Palliative Medicine’ is designed over four sections:
- Section A: Illness Experience and Suffering
- Section B: Psychiatry of Palliative Medicine
- Section C: Distress, Spiritual and Existential Issues
- Section D: Psychosocial Support
This series will be delivered by Students of MD and DNB in Palliative Medicine from across the country and moderated by expert Faculty from across the country.
Please click here to view the schedule from the new series.
We invite you to join us for the lectures scheduled for June from the APM’s Lecture Series 2. Details as follows:
