Education and Training

Applications invited for the IAPC’s ‘Foundation Course in Palliative Care for Volunteers’

Applications are invited for the fifth online batch of the IAPC’s Foundation Course in Palliative Care for Volunteers’.

Individuals who can commit, who have the time, and are willing to offer their services in palliative care facilities are invited to register for the course which aims to equip and empower ‘compassionate volunteers’ with relevant knowledge and interpersonal skills needed to volunteer in palliative care settings. The course will therefore place strong emphasis on communication skills, counselling skills, and the various psycho-social issues and its management, which a volunteer might potentially be faced with.

The course will be delivered in two components: a 16-hour virtual and theoretical ‘Part A’ component, and a 16 hour in-person practical ‘Part B’ component. Only those candidates successfully completing both components of the program will be eligible to receive the course completion certificate.

The 16-hour ‘Part A’ component of the course will be delivered over 6 days (2 hours each during the weekdays and 4 hours over the weekend) in November 2024. The course dates for this component of the course are 14th, 15th, 16th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd November, 2024.

Please click here for further details and to register for the course.


Register now to participate in the IAPC’s ‘Foundation Course in the Physiotherapy – Palliative Care interface’

The IAPC is inviting registrations for the IAPC’s ‘Foundation Course in the Physiotherapy – Palliative Care interface’, scheduled to be held on Saturday, 30th November, 2024.

The one-day 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, 30th November, 2024, and will be delivered by expert faculty from across the country.

Please click here for further information and to register for the same. Please note that the last date to register for the course is Tuesday, 26th November, 2024.


Apply to participate in the IAPC’s ‘Foundation course in the Essentials of Psychosocial Issues in Palliative Care’

Applications are invited for the online batch of the IAPC’s Foundation course in the Essentials of Psychosocial Issues in Palliative Care‘.

The course content is curated to facilitate participants understand the psychosocial and spiritual issues that impact the quality of life of patients with chronic illness and their caregivers. The course aims to also equip participants with the basic skills required to counsel and communicate with patients / caregivers in such situations.

Qualified Doctors (MBBS / BDS), Nurses (BSc Nursing / GNM), Counsellors and Psychologists (BSc / MSc / MA in Psychology) and Social Workers (MSW) are invited to apply for this program.

The virtual course will be delivered over a week in December (3 hours over weekends; 2 hours over weekdays), between Sunday, 1st December, 2024, and Saturday, 7th December, 2024 (both dates included).

Submit applications before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 27th November, 2024 to participate in the program. For further information and to register, please click here.


Applications invited for the IAPC’s ‘Foundation Course in the Essentials of Palliative Care’

Applications are invited for the IAPC’s ‘Foundation Course in the Essentials of Palliative Care’ (FCEPC) batch scheduled to begin in January 2025. The course was previously known as the IAPC’s Certificate Course in Essentials of Palliative Care.

The basic course in palliative care is intended for doctors and nurses and aims to inculcate the principles of palliative care in everyday practice for doctors and nurses to improve patient care through proper communication and effective management of difficult symptoms.

The online batch of the IAPC’s FCEPC 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 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th January 2025. Select Clinical sessions will be held separately for Doctors and Nurses.

For further details about the course and to submit e-applications, please click here. The last date to submit applications is Tuesday, 24th December, 2024.


Applications invited for the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Basics of Palliative Care – A blended learning program’

The Academy of Palliative Medicine (APM) is inviting applications for the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Basics of Palliative Care – A Blended Learning Program’.

The course aims to equip candidates with the knowledge and skills to deliver basic palliative care. Candidates will learn the core concepts and benefits of palliative care in the care of patients with serious illness. The course covers symptom and distress assessment and management (both pharmacological and non-pharmacological), communication skills for handling difficult conversations, ethical decision-making, and end-of-life care for patients.

Doctors who are post MBBS or post-graduates interested in incorporating palliative care in their clinical career are encouraged to register for the 6-month certificate course scheduled to begin on Friday, 10th January, 2025.

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 learning (4 hours per week; every Friday and Saturday between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.) through a Learning Management System. 3 days of Face-to-face, a 12-day clinical attachment component and a 2 day summative face-to-face along with an exam will be held at the end.

Please click here for further information and to register for the course.

Registration is on a first-come basis, and the number of participants will be capped at 30. Registrations close on Sunday, 15th December, 2024.


Applications invited for the ‘(EPEC-Pediatrics-India)’ program

Registrations are invited for the ‘Education in Palliative and End of Life Care-Pediatrics-India (EPEC-Pediatrics-India)’ program organised jointly by Bangalore Hospice Trust – Karunashraya, the Asia Pacific Hospice and Palliative Care Network (APHN), and EPEC Pediatrics.

The three-day in-person program is scheduled to be held at Bangalore Hospice Trust – Karunashraya, Bengaluru, Karnataka, between Thursday, 14th November, 2024, and Saturday, 16th November, 2024. 

The program aims to equip healthcare providers with the necessary skills and knowledge in Pediatrics Palliative Care to improve service delivery, and education while also building a team of expert trainers to share their knowledge.

Healthcare providers caring for children with critical illnesses and involved in pediatric palliative care education; and palliative medicine specialists with ongoing or competed MD/ DNB training are encouraged to apply for the program.

Please click here to register for the program.

For further information, please reach out to the organisers at: kipcer@karunashraya.org.


The APM’s course on ‘Advance Nursing Skills in Palliative Care’ began successfully on 10th September, 2024

The Academy of Palliative Medicine’s (APM) online batch of the ‘Advanced Nursing Skills in Palliative Care’ (ANSPC), began successfully on Tuesday, 10th September, 2024, with 29 enthusiastic nurses registering for the same.

This course aims to equip nurses with advanced nursing skills and impart knowledge in Palliative care by empowering them to assess patients’ needs and their symptoms comprehensively, to cultivate effective communication skills to facilitate compassionate and empathetic interactions with patients and their families, and to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills to effectively address complex situations and ethical dilemmas that may arise in palliative care.

The session began with Dr Nandini Vallath (Program Director, APM’s ANSPC) welcoming the guests, Dr Roy K George (President, Trained Nurses Association of India) and Dr Sushma Bhatnagar (President, IAPC; Chairperson APM). Dr Bhatnagar then addressed the gathering and highlighted the critical role nurses play in the provisioning of quality palliative care services. This was followed by Ms Sangeetha (Program Coordinator, APM’s ANSPC) introducing participants to the course by presenting the course overview, and Mr Terrymize I (Faculty, APM’s ANSPC) introducing the course modules that will be covered during the course. The Faculty for the day, Lt (Retd) Alice Stella Verginia was then invited to present the inaugural session ‘Introduction to palliative care’.

The blended course will be delivered via synchronous virtual sessions (to provide real-time interaction between expert faculty and participants for discussions and collaborative exercises) and asynchronous learning activities (self-paced study, with access to online resources, and submit assignments) which registered participants will access on a learning management system.

A total of 16 virtual sessions will be presented bi-monthly between 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. over the next nine months starting Tuesday, 10th September, 2024.


The ‘Part A’ component of the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Palliative Care Pharmacy’ was held successfully on 28th September, 2024

34 enthusiastic individuals from across the country participated in the ‘Part A’ component of the 6th online batch of the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Palliative Care Pharmacy’, on Saturday, 28th September, 2024.

Post participation in the ‘Part A’ component of the course, participants will be empowered with adequate knowledge of commonly used drugs in Palliative Care for pain management and other symptoms. They were equipped with relevant knowledge regarding Essential Narcotic Drugs and Narcotic Drugs along with insights into the technical legalities and the documentation involved in procuring, storing, dispensing and documenting the same.

The 23 Pharmacists and the 11 Doctors will now proceed towards the 3-hour in-person ‘Part B’ training component of the course.

Excerpts from the feedback received as below.

"The sessions provided new things to learn, had knowledgeable faculty along with interactive sessions"
"The session on principles of pain management was very informative; loved the roleplay session which helped us understand the summary of all the sessions. The case study based discussions were also interesting"

The IAPC thanks Dr Lulu Mathews (Academic Chairperson, IAPC), Ms Saroja Gangaiah and Dr Brajesh Kumar Ratre (Course Chairs) and each of our Faculty for their support towards this program. We also thank the course participants for their active participation during the course.


A hybrid workshop on ‘Methadone for pain’ was organised on 13th September, 2024, by the Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati, and the IAPC Assam State Chapter

The Department of Palliative Medicine, Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati, Assam, and the IAPC Assam State Chapter, had organised a workshop on ‘Methadone for pain’ on Friday, 13th September, 2024.

The workshop began with Dr B B Borthakur (Director, BBCI) welcoming the gathering and felicitating the Guest Speaker, Dr Kunal Ranjan Vinayak (Assistant Professor, Palliative Medicine, MMPMCC, Tata Memorial Center, Varnasi). During his welcome address, Dr Borthakur emphasised the use of various opioids for adequate and effective pain relief among cancer patients.

The workshop was then presented by Dr Kunal Ranjan Vinayak in which he empowered the audience by updating their knowledge about the uses of methadone, a synthetic opioid agonist drug used for the treatment of pain for patients suffering from serious life limiting illnesses. Dr Kabindra Bhagabati (Secretary, IAPC Assam State Chapter) also highlighted the importance of understanding the pharmacology and the proper uses of methadone, and to be mindful of the precautions, patient selections and regular follow-up which are essential in methadone use.

The hybrid workshop was attended by 65 healthcare professionals in-person and by 20 healthcare professionals virtually from different parts of Assam.


ADPCT trained 150 nursing students in palliative care on 14th and 15th September, 2024

The Amrit Dhara Palliative Care Trust (ADPCT) trained 150 nursing students in palliative care at the Theosophical Society Seminar Hall, Cuttack, Odisha, between Saturday, 14th September, 2024, and Sunday, 15th September, 2024.

The two-day training program was attended by 150 nursing students from the College of Nursing Choudwar, Cuttack, Bubaneswar. The comprehensive training program aimed to improve the delivery of compassionate and effective palliative care, by providing participants with in-depth knowledge of the principles and practices of palliative care along with emphasizing the critical aspects of care for patients with serious illnesses. The sessions were designed to provide the nurses with a combination of lectures, presentations and interactive workshops.

The training program was therefore able to successfully improve the participants’ knowledge and skills.

Please click here to read the complete report.


Baptist Christian Hospital, Tezpur, and IAPC conduct a regional program of the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Palliative Care for Volunteers’ at Tezpur between 14th and 16th September, 2024

The Baptist Christian Hospital (BCH), Tezpur, Assam, and the IAPC jointly conducted a regional program of the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Palliative Care for Volunteers’ at Tezpur, Assam, between Saturday, 14th September, 2024, and Monday, 16th September, 2024.

The 2.5 days of interactive program was attended by 36 participants represented by 16 social workers, 8 community volunteers, 1 Nursing principal, 1 retired teacher, 3 NGOs and 7 Nurses.

Sessions began with Dr Sushma Bhatnagar (President, IAPC) welcoming the audience virtually and highlighted the need for palliative care along with congratulating the team from BCH for their initiative in organising this program. The sessions over the next few days were presented primarily by expert faculty from the region along with a few national expert faculty (in alphabetical order: Dr Amelia Micheal, Dr Dinesh Goswami, Dr Kabindra Bhagabati, Dr Pradyna Talawadekar, Dr Sanghamitra Bora, Dr Savita Butola, Mr Sudip Rudra Paul, Mr Tarun Sonowal, Mr Uttam Changmai). The intense training program was designed to introduce participants to the principles and concepts of palliative care along with focusing on communication and basic psychosocial evaluation along with several case-based study and role plays. Sessions also focussed on how a volunteer could support home care teams by helping in the psycho-social evaluation and rehabilitation of a patient and their caregiver.

The highlight of the program was the creation of a video in which a real-world case was discussed to highlight the importance of how a multidisciplinary team could positively impact the quality of care of a patient who was disabled due to an injury of the spinal cord.

Course participants will now proceed towards participating in a 16-hour hands on training component at the Baptist Christian Hospital, Tezpur, Assam.

We thank Dr Asolie Chase and Ms Gilly Burn for their enthusiasm and initiative towards this program. We also extend our gratitude to our Course Coordinators, Dr Ganapthy KV, Dr Jerine Liankimi and Dr Priyakhi Borkotoki, for sharing their time and excellent support towards the successful implementation of this program.


Over 20 healthcare professionals participated in a ‘Live Workshop on Cancer Communication’ on 18th September, 2024, organised by AHPGIC, Cuttack

The Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer (AHPGIC), Cuttack, had organised a half-day ‘Live Workshop on Cancer Communication’ at their institute on Wednesday, 18th September, 2024.

The very interactive workshop on effective communication with patients and their caregivers was attended by over 20 faculty and students from AHPGIC.

The workshop was inaugurated by Dr Deepak Routray (Director, AHPGIC) and Dr Rekha Dash (Principal, AHPGIC). The participants were then treated to a brilliant and in-depth workshop which was presented by Dr Nagesh Simha (Medical Director, Bagchi Karunashraya Palliative Care Center, Bhubaneswar) and Ms Keshav Sharma (Lead, Psycho-oncologist, Bagchi Karunashraya Palliative Care Center, Bhubaneswar). The very interactive session was ably moderated by Dr Sumita Mohanty (Head, Department of Anesthesiology, AHPGIC).

The workshop was designed to include a combination of didactic teaching and interactive role plays – both live and recorded, and focussed on difficult issues while talking to cancer patients and their caregivers in clinical scenarios. Sessions also included touching upon the concepts of breaking bad news, denial, collusion, and spiritual issues.


35 clinicians from across India participated in the CTC 6 Refresher program in New Delhi, between 20th and 22nd September, 2024

The 2.5 day ‘Refresher Course’ of the 6th cohort of the Palliative Care Training Program aimed at Cancer Treatment Centers (CTC) in India, was attended by 35 clinicians (17 Doctors and 18 Nurses) from 11 centers across the country between Friday, 20th September, 2024, and Sunday, 22nd September, 2024, at the Pride Plaza Hotel, Aerocity, New Delhi.

The in-person training program is being offered jointly by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN) and the Lien Collaborative for Palliative Care. This program aims to also facilitate the implementation of India’s National Program for Palliative Care (NPPC) which mandates the availability of palliative care services in all institutions dealing with cancer and non-communicable diseases.

This training component is the third phase of the structured training provided for participants from the current cohort. In February 2024, participants were introduced to a Learning Management System (LMS) to access pre-recorded lectures on the basic concepts and principles of palliative care.  Participants were then invited to participate in a 2.5 day in-person Foundation course at New Delhi in March 2024, followed by a 5-day in-person clinical posting at either AIIMS, New Delhi, or at the Kasturba Medical College and Hospital, Manipal, Karnataka, between June and August 2024.

The power packed 2.5 day Refresher Course was led by a team of 12 expert Faculty from across India, and included lectures, case based discussions, role plays and an interactive workshop. An informative and interesting quiz was also included to facilitate interactive learning. Course participants also presented the progress they have made at their respective centers (eg.setting up PC units / departments, working towards a State Palliative Care Policy etc.) till date along with presenting lectures on key topics in palliative care.

Participants will continue to be mentored and hand held until the end of the program period in December 2024.


40 senior citizens sensitised about Palliative Care and Advanced Medical Directives on 23rd September, 2024, at Nasik

40 senior citizens from Nasik were sensitised to the basic concept of palliative care and Advanced Medical Directives on Monday, 23rd September, 2024, at an open hall in a temple near Nine Pearls Hospital, Nasik, Maharashtra.

The session was presented by Dr Pallavi Chaudhari (Head, Physiotherapy, Nine Pearls Hospital, Nasik) who introduced the audience to palliative care and how it can be provided from the start of diagnosis and not limited to only end of life issues. She then went to talk about the preventive aspects in pulmonary health and pulmonary rehabilitation.

Mr Kishore Gaikwad (Retired Judge) then addressed the audience to present a session on Advanced Medical Directives and other legal aspects pertaining to palliative care in the community. He also spoke about how the community can contribute to develop palliative care networks within them.

Post this awareness session which was conducted entirely in Marathi, several members reported that they were not aware of Advance Directives until today and also expressed interest to become volunteers in palliative care.

The initiative was spearheaded by Dr Asha Deshmukh (Intensivist, Nine Pearls Hospital, Nasik) in honour of Dr M R Rajagopal’s (Chairman Emeritus, Pallium India) birthday with the objective of increasing community involvement in health care and in palliative care.


The Delhi State Chapter of IAPC and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, jointly organised a CME on ‘Pediatric Palliative Care’ on 26th September, 2024

The Delhi State Chapter of IAPC and the Department of Palliative Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, jointly organised a CME on ‘Pediatric Palliative Care’ (PPC) on Thursday, 26th September, 2024. The one-day CME was conducted between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. and was organised at the Auditorium, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH), New Delhi.

Over 100 enthusiastic individuals (Doctors, Nurses and Resident Doctors) participated in the CME, which began with the organising secretary, Dr Bimla Sharma welcoming the gathering. The inauguration ceremony was graced with the presence of Dr Ajay Swaroop (Chairman, Board of Management, SGRH), Dr Jayashree Sood (Vice Chairperson, Board of Management, SGRHl) and Dr A K Bhalla (Honorary Secretary, SGRH). This was followed by the felicitation of all dignitaries including Dr Sushma Bhatnagar (President, IAPC) and Dr Seema Mishra (Chairman, Delhi State Chapter of the IAPC)

Sessions for the day began with a skit on caregiver burden in PPC, and a session on the integration of palliative care (PC) in paediatrics. Sessions then proceeded to cover topics such as understanding unique challenges in Pediatric PC, Neonatal and Perinatal PC, role of palliative Radiotherapy in Managing Paediatric Tumours, handling grief and bereavement in Pediatric PC. The CME also included two very interesting Panel discussions.  

The rich CME concluded with the presentation of a vote of thanks.


Update from the APM’s lecture series: The Academy of Palliative Medicine’s online Lecture Series 3 announced!

Report on activities in September 2024

The September series of the ‘Academy of Palliative Medicine’s online Lecture Series 2’ presented the palliative care community with four very interesting lectures.

The first session for the month was an insightful presentation on Dying Mindpresented by Dr Karishma Jain and moderated by Dr Krithika Rao. This was followed by an excellent presentation on Spiritual and Existential Issues in Palliative Medicinepresented by Dr Prathibha Jha and moderated by Dr Nagesh Simha. The third session for the month was an interesting presentation on Caregiver supportpresented by Drs Tauseef and Ahmad and moderated by Sr Hanife MacGamwell. Sessions for the month concluded with an excellent presentation on Self Care by Dr Bhanu Choudhary and moderated by Sr Sangeetha N.

There was no session presented on Monday, 16th September, 2024, due to festivities.

This lecture series concluded in September, 2024, after presenting a total of 15 lectures focussing on ‘Psychosocial Issues in Palliative Medicine’, every monday morning between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Lectures from the series were delivered by Students of MD and DNB in Palliative Medicine from across the country and moderated by expert Faculty from across the country.

A total of 202 lectures have been delivered till date as part of the Monday morning lecture series. 149 lectures were delivered as part of the IAPC Academy’s online lecture Series 1 to 6, and 53 lectures were delivered as a part of the Academy of Palliative Medicine’s online Lecture Series 1 and 2.

The IAPC thanks all our speakers and moderators for sharing their time and expertise towards enriching the collective knowledge of the palliative care’s community.

The Academy of Palliative Medicine’s (APM) online Lecture Series 3 announced!

We are excited to announce that the ‘Academy of Palliative Medicine’s online Lecture Series 3’ will begin from Monday, 14th October, 2024, at 6:30 a.m.

The upcoming Lecture Series will present a total of 52 lectures focussing on ‘Recent Advances in Palliative Care’. 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 October, 2024, from the APM’s Lecture Series 3. Details as follows: