From the President’s Desk
Dear All,
Warm greetings to everyone!
As the temperatures are beginning to rise across India, preparations for the upcoming 33rd Annual International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPCON 2026) are heating up as well.
On behalf of the IAPC, I invite each of you to register for IAPCON 2026 and avail the early bird registration offer. IAPCON 2026 will be held at the National Institute for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (NI-MSME), Hyderabad, Telangana, between Friday, 13th February, 2026, and Sunday, 15th February 2026. Pre-conference workshops have been slated for Thursday, 12th February, 2026. The conference is themed ‘Continuum of Care: Hospital, Hospice, and Home’ to highlight 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.
Our team has also been working towards completing a few pending matters with the Charity Commissioner and the Department of Income Tax. We look forward to resolving the same within the next three to four months. I am also pleased to share that IAPC’s accounts have been successfully transferred to Ahmedabad and that it is now operational.
The IAPC’s Executive Committee (EC) met virtually on Wednesday, 12th March 2025, to discuss the progress of the various ongoing tasks and projects. I extend my sincere gratitude to Col. Yashavant Joshi for accepting our invitation to serve as the Honorary Treasurer of the IAPC. The EC is also looking to nominate a Nurse working in Palliative Care to join us as an EC member. If you know of a suitable candidate who is a member of the IAPC, please write to me at president.iapc.india@gmail.com with their CV and other relevant information.
On Saturday, 15th March 2025, the Academy of Palliative Medicine (APM) held its first Governing Council meeting with its newly reconstituted committee. During the meeting Dr. Naveen Salins (Secretary General, APM) presented an update of the APM’s six-month blended learning course for doctors, which is currently in its beta testing phase. Undergoing continuous refinement based on participant feedback, the second cohort is set to launch in July 2025. In addition, he emphasized the APM’s growth potential and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting IAPC. The meeting culminated with the APM’s Governing Council agreeing to convene on a quarterly basis to review activities and revise action plans.
The IAPC continues to ensure support towards the effective implementation of the country’s National Program for Palliative Care (NPPC) across states. One such workshop is scheduled for May 2025 in Arunachal Pradesh. Dr. Sanghamitra Bora and Dr Tashi Chotton along with the regional representatives from the IAPC’s North East Region will be coordinating the workshop. The IAPC aims to involve palliative care experts from the respective State / Region in all training programs to promote stronger collaboration among regional palliative care groups.
It has been a pleasure to be a part of the Monday morning APM lecture series. I extend my special thanks to Dr. Sushma Bhatnagar (Past President, IAPC), for encouraging our PG students and the others from the palliative care fraternity to actively participate in these enriching sessions.
Finally, I invite you to explore and enjoy the April 2025 edition of the IAPC’s newsletter rich in news, updates and other important announcements from India and beyond. I extend my deepest gratitude to all our contributors for their invaluable support towards this edition of the newsletter.
Anticipate your support as together we can propel the development of palliative care in the country.
With warm regards,
Dr. Geeta Joshi
President, IAPC