From the President’s Desk
Dear Friends,
Adversities are a part of one’s life. The human race is designed to overcome these adversities to co-exist and move forward. I feel that choosing the empathetic path, will make one feel more content and resilient to travel through this arduous journey. The heat wave in some parts of India and the mounting threat imposed once again by the Corona Virus are no exceptions, to such adversities.
Despite these adversities, I am happy to share highlights from the exciting developments that have been unfurling in the field of Palliative Care. I invite and recommend you to read this edition of the newsletter for complete details of the below mentioned.
The much awaited theme for this year’s World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) has been announced by The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) earlier this week. The theme for this year’s WHPCD is “Healing Hearts and Communities” and will be celebrated on 8th October, 2022. I request you to begin planning your events to celebrate this Day. The IAPC will be announcing shortly the event planned to celebrate this year’s WHPCD.
Congratulations Nurse Sheelarani and Dr Geeta Joshi, for your awards! The entire palliative care community is so proud of you.
The palliative care community of Jammu and Kashmir has achieved a huge milestone by inaugurating Palliative / Geriatric wards in all of Jammu and Kashmir’s District Hospitals, post IAPC’s training for 45 district Doctors and Nurses from the districts of Jammu, Leh, and Kargil, in the basics of Palliative Care, in March 2022. Shri Manoj Sinha, the Honourable Lt. Governor, Jammu and Kashmir, officially e-inaugurated these wards on 31st March 2022. The IAPC is proud to have partnered with the National Health Mission, J&K, to join them in their remarkable journey.
It is also heart-warming to share that new palliative care services are being set up in several States across the country. We congratulate the champions from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Nagaland for their efforts and actions towards this achievement.
Palliative care envisages total care. Through our collaborative ventures, we strive to deliver comprehensive care to our patients and families.
Our collaborative virtual evenings of harmonies, ‘Singing for the Stars’, with the Shankar Mahadevan Academy Nirvana, has been well received by patients, families, and the palliative care fraternity from across the country. On behalf of IAPC, I thank you all for participating in this program and providing your patients with an evening to unwind and relax. We thank Ms. Trushna Oak for her time, enthusiasm and her brilliant evening on Thursday, 28th April, 2022. Our next event, presented by Mr Ashwin Prabhu, (a vocalist and a performing artist) is scheduled for Sunday, 15th May, 2022, at 5 p.m. to commemorate International Day of Families. We request you to make arrangements to live stream the event at your center to present a memorable evening for your patients and their caregivers.
The IAPC is also excited to present to you, a hybrid event, ‘An Evening of Laughs with Dr Jagdish Chaturvedi’ on Monday, 9th May, 2022, at 5.30 p.m. The event will be held physically at Ramalingaswami Board Room, AIIMS, New Delhi, and also be live streamed via Zoom. We request you to live stream the virtual stand-up comedy show for your patients and their caregivers.
It is really inspiring to see the ever increasing participation in IAPC’s online Academy Lecture series, delivered every week. Our students are working very hard to deliver these lectures and your participation inspires them to deliver their best. Thank you for your support!
I urge you to read the IAPCs exclusive articles this month, presented in the interesting reads section of this newsletter. This month’s features includes articles from Dr Avinash Tiwari and Dr Prasad Dange, Dr Bidhu K Mohanti, Dr Jayita Deodhar and Dr Spandana Rayala.
Before concluding, I would like to remind you all to submit your entries to celebrate your Nurse’s as a part of IAPC’s celebration of Palliative Care Nurses, before Monday, 2nd May, 2022, and to submit your expression of interest to conduct pre-conference workshops at IAPCON 2023, before Monday, 30th May 2023. Further information about both these activities are detailed in the Announcements / Messages from the IAPC section of this newsletter.
Hope to see you at the re-launch of the IAPC’s Bookclub, ‘The Bookworms’, on Friday, 27th May, 2022 at 7 p.m. to discuss the book ‘The Last Lecture’ by Randy Pausch. Those interested to join the IAPC’s bookclub are requested to drop us an email at assistant.nio.iapc@gmail.com with an expression of interest towards the same.
In view of the rising Corona Virus threat, revised guidelines have been published by our Government. I request you to please follow the guidelines and stay safe.
Warm Regards,
Dr. Sushma Bhatnagar
President, IAPC