From the President’s Desk

Dear Friends,

Dr. Sushma Bhatnagar

The IAPC extends its heartiest warm wishes to all the Palliative Care Doctors, on the occasion of National Doctors’ Day! To commemorate this day, the IAPC presents to you a compilation of the MD and DNB Doctors of Palliative Medicine from across India. We invite you to visit the IAPC’s celebration of National Doctors Day webpage to meet, acknowledge, encourage, and motivate these young torch bearers who will be propelling the development of palliative care throughout the country.

I am saddened to share that our colleagues in Assam are faced with challenges due to the flood situation. I request you to extend support to the palliative care community in Assam, in whichever way possible. The Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Center, in Assam, is struggling to continue their operations to care for the suffering patients. This cancer facility treats underprivileged patients from some of the most underserved locations in northeast India. Let’s join hands to support them. Please click here to make a donation to Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Center.  

I would also like to share with you a few important messages from the Global Palliative Care Community. First, your support is requested towards the establishment of Dr Cynthia Goh’s legacy project, the Cynthia Goh Global Palliative Care Institute. Second, the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) has published this year’s World Hospice and Palliative Care Day’s (WHPCD) toolkit.  I request you please read the Announcements / Messages from IAPC section of this newsletter for further information on both these announcements.

On behalf of the organizing committee of IAPCON 2023, I invite you to submit abstracts for IAPCON 2023. I urge you to not miss this opportunity to present your research and get recognized on a global platform. Don’t forget to submit your abstract before Tuesday, 15th November 2022.

The IAPC, in it’s endeavour to improve access to palliative care for the varying sections of the community, had organised a  webinar on ‘Understanding Women in Sex Work: A First step towards an inclusion in palliative care services’ on Thursday, 2nd June, 2022.  We are grateful to the Uttara Karnataka Mahila Okkoota and Samraksha, for collaborating with IAPC towards organizing a successful webinar on the occasion of International Sex Workers Day. Please click here to watch a recording of the webinar, in case you missed this thought provoking webinar.

On behalf of IAPC and the palliative care community I extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Shankar Mahadevan Academy Nirvana, for collaborating with IAPC to present the palliative care community with enthralling musical evenings ‘Singing for the Stars’ every month to brighten up the lives of our stars – our patients and their caregivers, and our healthcare professionals. The musical evening for July will be presented by Mr Kumaran Muthuraman, a Performing artist and a Musician, on Saturday, 30th July, 2022, at 3:50 p.m. to commemorate International Day of Friendship. I congratulate and thank Ms Shruti Bhide and her father, Mr Sunil Bhide, for their scintillating performance on Tuesday, 21st June, 2022, to celebrate World Music Day. Head over to the IAPC’s Facebook page to listen to a recording from the evening.

Several requests from candidates has prompted us to extend the last date to apply for the much sought after basic course in Palliative Care, the IAPC’s Certificate Course in Essentials of Palliative Care (CCEPC) to Monday, 4th July 2022. Online theory classes will commence from Saturday, 9th July 2022. Please share the course details with those who may benefit from the program.

I am thrilled to share that the ongoing IAPC Academy’s Online Lecture Series 4, on Palliative Care Drugs, is being successfully delivered every Monday between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Please click here to access the recordings of these lectures in case you missed a lecture or if you simply want to listen to it again. The hard work and dedication of our young MD and DNB Residents in Palliative Medicine, along with their mentors, to present excellent lectures in this series is laudable.

Don’t forget to read four very interesting and IAPC’s exclusive articles in this edition of the newsletter. I congratulate each of the authors for sharing their time and expertise towards developing and publishing these articles. This month’s articles are contributed by: 

Last but not the least, I extend my congratulations and appreciation to everyone who have bagged awards and achieved milestones for their contribution in palliative care. I invite you to please read about these achievements in the Awards and Recognition section of this newsletter. Congratulations and best wishes once again to each of these individuals / organizations.

Take care and Stay safe!

Warm Regards,

Dr. Sushma Bhatnagar
President, IAPC