From the President’s Desk

Dr. Sushma Bhatnagar

Hello Friends,

First and foremost, I extend my heartiest congratulations to the organizing team of IAPCON 2024, for successfully organising an excellent academic extravaganza infused with the rich history of IAPC.

I am delighted to share that 438 delegates participated in IAPCON 2024, which was held earlier this month between Friday, 9th February, 2024, and Sunday, 11th February, 2024, at the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It was wonderful for the conference organisers to showcase the journey of IAPC since its inception in 1994 in Ahmedabad. Delegates also witnessed historic speeches delivered by Dr M T Bhatia and Dr Pamela Sutton, the trailblazers who planted the seeds of Palliative care in India, by initiating a palliative care unit at GCRI in the early 1980s. The conference also brought in several stalwarts in palliative care from across the country and beyond to present excellent sessions during the conference.

The 62 oral papers and 82 poster presentations during IAPCON 2024 has reaffirmed to us that promising scientific research endeavours are underway in the field of palliative medicine / care, and that the future of Palliative Medicine / Care in India rests securely in the capable hands of our young professionals. I also extend my congratulations to the winners across all categories, including the Quiz and creative poster competition, for their profound knowledge, creativity, and enthusiasm. Please click here to read the report of the conference summary prepared by Dr Priti Sanghavi (Organising Secretary, IAPCON 2024). My heartfelt congratulations to Dr Geeta Joshi (Organising Chair, IAPCON 2024) and her team for curating this wonderful conference!

The IAPC’s Central Council meeting and the IAPC’s Annual General Body Meeting were also conducted successfully during the conference, where significant decisions were made. The ‘IAPC’s Award for Nurses’, the ‘Excellence in Palliative Care Service Award’ along with several other benefits for the IAPC’s organisational members has been announced. I encourage you to please visit the ‘Announcements / Messages from IAPC’ section of this newsletter for further details regarding this and about IAPCON 2025.

It brings me great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to the newly elected office bearers of the IAPC.  I am particularly proud to welcome Dr Geeta Joshi, a senior member of the IAPC, who has been elected (unopposed) as the president of IAPC (2025 to 2028). The complete list of the newly elected Central Council Members, has been published in the ‘Announcements / Messages from IAPC’ section of this newsletter. I also extend our sincere gratitude to Dr Sukdev Nayak and Dr Arun Deka for their support and service as election officers during the IAPC’s elections 2024.

Over the past month, significant strides have been made in the realm of Palliative Care education in India. I encourage you to explore the ‘Education and Training’ section of the IAPC’s Newsletter to gather insights into the varied training programs that have been organised across the country. Applications are also invited for two of the IAPC’s highly sought-after training programs, the IAPC’s Certificate Course in Palliative Care Pharmacy and the IAPC’s Certificate Course for Volunteers in Palliative Care, along with a call for applications from several other institutions from across India. We request you to disseminate these announcements within your networks to help develop and spread the availability of palliative care services in the country.

As part of the IAPC’s advocacy efforts, informative content in English, on the basics of palliative care aiming to sensitise the general community about the basics of palliative care was published in regional editions of 6 national dailies during February, 2024.  Further details regarding this is available in the ‘Announcements / Messages from IAPC’ section of this newsletter.

I am proud to share and celebrate the milestones surpassed by various organisations, and the noteworthy awards and recognitions that have been presented to our colleagues and their organisations. I congratulate each of you for your achievements. I urge you to visit the ‘Awards and Recognition’ section of this newsletter to join me in celebrating our colleagues and their organisations.

The IAPC’s Infographic for March is on ‘Basics of Morphine in Palliative Care’. Please click here to view the infographic’s published till date.

The January – March edition of the Indian Journal of Palliative Care (IJPC) was also published earlier this month. In addition to featuring excellent scientific content in this edition, we have also published a list of the reviewers from 2023, to acknowledge their support towards the journal. I thank and congratulate Dr Raghavendra Ramanjulu (Editor-in-Chief, IJPC) for sharing yet another excellent edition of the journal.

We are also deeply grateful to our Authors for their contribution towards the ‘IAPC’s Exclusive Articles’. This month’s newsletter features the following:

I leave you with an invitation to avail the early bird registration for the 32nd Annual International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPCON 2025) will be held at the Auditorium of AIIMS Jammu, between Friday, 31st January, 2025, and Sunday, 2nd February, 2025. Pre-conference workshops have been slated for Thursday, 30th January, 2025. The conference is themed, ‘Evidence based Palliative Care’. Please visit the conference website for further information and to register for IAPCON 2025.

Take care.

With best wishes,

Dr. Sushma Bhatnagar
President, IAPC