From the President’s Desk
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
October brings World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD), observed on the second Saturday of the month (10 October this year). The theme for 2026 is “Pain Management: An Essential Part of Palliative Care.” Relieving pain in all its dimensions, physical, psychological, social, and spiritual, is at the heart of what we do. It is a day to remind ourselves and our communities that access to palliative care in serious illness is a matter of dignity and a basic human need. Across India, professionals, volunteers, and caregivers work every day to relieve pain and suffering, often with very limited resources. This day is an occasion to honour that work and to raise awareness of palliative care.
I request every member and centre to celebrate the day in whatever way suits your community, whether through an awareness walk, a patient and family gathering, a school or college programme, a media outreach, or a moment of appreciation for your team. Celebrate, Share, Inspire! IAPC’s platform is ready for you to showcase your event to the world. Please share your WHPCD celebration with IAPC by submitting photos and a short report on our dedicated page: https://www.palliativecare.in/world-hospice-and-palliative-care-day-celebrations/. Your stories will inspire others, so give us a glimpse of your work!
I also warmly invite you to the International Conference on Palliative Care, being organised jointly by IAPC and ALPHA Palliative Care from 9 to 11 October 2026. This collaboration brings together clinicians, researchers, volunteers, and policy makers to learn from one another and strengthen our shared mission. Details and registration are available here: https://www.palliativecare.in/iapc-and-alpha-palliative-care-organise-international-conference-on-palliative-care-9-11-october-2026/. I hope to see many of you there.
I am delighted to congratulate our colleagues in the North- East on the successful North-East Leadership Meet & Academic Symposium, held on 12 September in Meghalaya. Bringing leaders from the region together to share experiences, plan for the future, and build stronger networks is a significant step. I was fortunate to be present at this brilliant event, where leaders met and carefully charted a pathway for the development of palliative care in the region, covering all aspects. My sincere appreciation to the organisers. It was also my pleasure to attend the official inauguration of the North- East Regional Chapter of IAPC, held on the same day in Guwahati. Congratulations to Dr Sanghamitra Bora (Hon. Secretary, IAPC), for her dedicated effort in fulfilling this dream. IAPC stands with the North-East regional chapter, as you take palliative care forward in the region.
Looking ahead, we have two important regional conferences coming up: 2nd Assam IAPCON, 5 – 6 December 2026 in Silchar and 2nd WBIAPCON, 21-22 November, Kolkata. I encourage you to attend, contribute, and support the regional programs organised by the respective state chapters of IAPC.
I once again urge all of you to submit your abstracts for the 34th Annual International Conference of IAPC (IAPCON 2027). It’s time to complete your registration for the conference. Attractive prizes and grants are available for those presenting papers in the conference. Don’t miss abstract submission deadline. Please visit conference website for details.
At IAPC, we continue to pursue our academic projects to strengthen palliative care education across the country by every means available. The online examination for the Foundation Course in Essentials of Palliative Care was held on Saturday, 26 September 2026, with 196 doctors and nurses appearing at 34 centres across India. I extend my sincere gratitude to all the centre coordinators for their dedicated efforts in making this programme a success. On the same day, 29 clinicians took part in the online Foundation Course in Palliative Care Pharmacy. Congratulations to all the participants. I am also delighted to announce and congratulate the winners of the Step 1 – Online Examination of the IAPC’s Gold Medal for Nurses. The top five rank holders will go on to the final examination in November, and I wish them the very best. “Sharpen Your Skills – 2026”: IAPC’s Nursing Faculty Training also will be held from 21 to 22 November 2026. Please visit the Other Upcoming Events section in this newsletter for details. Training programmes for volunteers and psychologists are also in the pipeline. Please visit the IAPC website for course announcements.
Palliative care programmes across the country continue to receive well-deserved recognition, including honours for our pioneers. Congratulations to everyone on these prestigious awards and other milestones. Please visit the Awards and Recognitions section of this newsletter to read about them, and join us in celebrating the achievements of our teachers and colleagues.
Thank you to each and every member for everything you do. Your dedication, day after day, is what brings comfort and dignity to patients and families across our country.
With warm regards,
Dr. Geeta Joshi
President
Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC)