A Journey of the Heart: How Palliative Care Training Changed the Way I See Volunteering

A Journey of the Heart: How Palliative Care Training Changed the Way I See Volunteering – Ms. Shashikala Devanesen, Chennai As a volunteer from Dean Foundation, Chennai. I had the great privilege of participating in the online Volunteers Training Programme conducted by IAPC from 20-25 November 2025. When I signed up for the Foundation Course…

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Between Loss and Living: Reflections from a Psycho-Oncology Practice

Between Loss and Living: Reflections from a Psycho-Oncology Practice – Dr. Priyadarshini Pant, Patiala The past ten days have been heavy, as I lost six terminally ill patients to cancer. The experience, however, is always a mixed bag because, just in the last two days, three of my patients—who are cancer survivors—have reported an improvement…

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The Paradox of Nursing Visibility in Community-Based Palliative Care

The Paradox of Nursing Visibility in Community-Based Palliative Care – Ms. Anu Savio Thelly, Abu Dhabi Despite being the backbone of community-based palliative care, nurses remain largely invisible in global advocacy and discourse, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While nurses are often the primary providers of palliative care at the grassroots level, policy…

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Upholding Dignity in Healthcare

Upholding Dignity in Healthcare – Dr. Lipika Patra, Meerut Every person holds intrinsic worth, regardless of background, achievement, or social standing. In clinical encounters, patients often feel vulnerable, anxious, or afraid. In our daily practice, unconscious biases can often slip quietly into our work. Patients familiar to us may unintentionally receive preference, while those from…

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Opportunities and challenges in teaching Palliative Care to nursing students

Opportunities and challenges in teaching Palliative Care to nursing students – Dr. Latha Srikanth, Jodhpur INTRODUCTION When we talk about palliative care, we usually think of comfort, dignity and the small but meaningful ways in which we can ease a person’s suffering. It is not only about controlling pain or symptoms, it is also about…

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A Global Circle of Care: How WhatsApp is Changing Palliative Nursing!

A Global Circle of Care: How WhatsApp is Changing Palliative Nursing! Together, Connected, and Never Alone… – Mr. Sachin Dwivedi, Rishikesh In the quiet moments of a hospital ward or a remote clinic, palliative care nurses often face some of the most challenging situations in healthcare. Yet across the globe, a new kind of support…

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Extending Compassion to the Mountains: A Journey into Palliative Care in Ladakh

Extending Compassion to the Mountains: A Journey into Palliative Care in Ladakh – Dr. Rinchen Dolma, Union Territory of Ladakh Introduction In my years of practice as an Anaesthetist, I always carried a silent desire — to do something meaningful in the realm of pain management. Anaesthesia, by its very nature, deals with relieving pain.…

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Achieving the promise

Achieving the promise – Dr. M. R. Rajagopal, Thiruvananthapuram The theme of the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day this year is “Achieving the promise: universal access to Palliative care”. A noble goal, no doubt. Universal Health Coverage (UHC), a global goal under the UN sustainable development goals (SDG), is supposed to be achieved by…

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From Paper to Patients: Why India must put Palliative Care Policies into Practice

From Paper to Patients: Why India must put Palliative Care Policies into Practice – Ms. Smriti Rana, Thiruvananthapuram Only 4% of India’s population has access to palliative care. Many of the right ideas have already been written into policies: the National Programme for Palliative Care (NPPC, 2012), the National Health Policy (2017) that recognizes palliative…

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