From the President’s Desk

Dr. Sushma Bhatnagar

Hello Friends,

A very Happy Doctor’s Day to all the doctors out there!

I am happy to share that as per the decision taken during the IAPC’s Annual General Body Meeting (AGBM) held in Ahmedabad, on Saturday, 10th February, 2024, we have now identified and appointed Prof. Bidhu K Mohanti and Dr. Rudranil Nandi for the IAPC’s Central Council (CC) body for the East Zone, Dr. Hiranya Kumar Das and Dr. Obangjungla for the IAPC’s CC body from the North East Zone, Ms Poonam Bagai for the IAPC’s CC body for the Co-opted Members category and Dr. Ho Shirlynn for the IAPC’s CC body from the overseas category, in June 2024. I heartily welcome each of these members to the IAPC’s CC body. I am certain that the IAPC will now grow to further heights with support from a stellar CC body in which each member brings with them rich and diverse skills and experiences. Please click here to view the details of the IAPC’s Central Council body.

I am also pleased to share that the ‘IAPC’s Infographic of the month’ for July 2024, focuses on ‘Anticipatory Medications in Palliative Medicine’. This is a much-needed infographic which will definitely help to provide and comfort and dignity to a patient and their caregivers during challenging times. Please visit the ‘Announcements / Messages from IAPC’ section of the newsletter to view the same. Feel free to also share this infographic within your networks.

The IAPC is inviting submissions from the palliative care community towards the second edition of the IAPC’s unique initiative ‘A photo journey – Looking through the prism of Palliative Care’, to celebrate this year’s World Photography Day. Please click here for further information on this. Do keep in mind that submissions need to be made before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, 6th August, 2024.

On behalf of the IAPCON 2025 team, I invite researchers to submit abstracts of their work in palliative care for presentation at the 32nd Annual International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPCON 2025). Interesting categories for abstract submissions have also been announced. Please note that registrations for conference and pre-conference workshops are also invited. Head over to the conference website for further information about this.

On the academic front at the IAPC, 45 motivated clinicians participated in the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Palliative Care-Physiotherapy interface’, held on Saturday, 15th June, 2024. I express my gratitude to our course chairs and faculty towards the successful implementation of this program. The IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Essentials of Palliative Care’ is inviting registrations for the July 2024 batch before 5 p.m. on Thursday, 4th July 2024. I urge you to circulate the details of this course within your networks and encourage Doctors and Nurses to participate in the program to get empowered in the basics of Palliative Care. Applications are also invited for the Academy of Palliative Medicine’s course on ‘Advanced Nursing Skills in Palliative Care’. Please click here for further information about this program.

The ‘Education and Training’ section of this newsletter also features some very interesting and important course announcements from other palliative care institutions in the country. Please visit this section for further details about these course announcements. Additionally, the section also features a few reports from other educational activities conducted by organisations from across the country.  

I am delighted to invite you to visit the ‘Awards and Recognitions’ section of this newsletter to join hands with me in celebrating the achievements of our colleagues and the accomplishment of milestones by various organisations providing palliative care services across the country. My heartfelt congratulations to each of these celebrations.

It is well known that ‘Change is the only thing constant!’ Well, to keep ourselves updated in today’s fast paced world where new evidence is presented every day, it is only imperative for us to constantly update our knowledge and collaborate with colleagues. I invite you to head over to the ‘Other Upcoming Events’ section of this newsletter for information on upcoming webinars and conferences.

I thank and congratulate the contributors for their support towards this month’s ‘IAPC’s Exclusive Articles’. I invite you to read the articles from this month:

I leave you with an invitation to join us for the upcoming musical evening of harmonies, ‘Singing for the Stars’ scheduled for 2:50 p.m. on Thursday, 18th July, 2024. Thank you, Team SMA Nirvana, for your unwavering support and commitment towards this initiative. The ‘Announcements / Messages from IAPC’ section of this newsletter will provide further information on this.

Once again wishing all the doctors from the palliative care community, a very happy Doctors’ Day!

With warm regards,

Dr. Sushma Bhatnagar
President, IAPC