Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network

12/02/2026

12/02/2026

Don't miss out!

Join us online Thursday 19 February for our next deep dive into the National Palliative Care Standards.

This time, we focus on Standard Eight: Quality Improvement, encouraging services to engage in continuous improvement and research to enhance care.

Panellists:
🔹 Donna O'Brien - Area Manager, BaptistCare at home
🔹 Toni Arndell - National Engagement Manager, ELDAC
🔹 Dr Claudia Virdun - Specialist Palliative Care Nurse, Researcher and Senior Lecturer
🔹 Kate Ritchie - Senior Project Officer, Palliative Care Australia
🔹 Chelsea Menchin - National Projects Director, Palliative Care Australia

Whether you work in a specialist or non-specialist palliative care service, the National Palliative Care Standards Community of Practice and monthly webinars have been designed to support you in providing high-quality palliative care.

Register now: https://ow.ly/mlxA50Y9L2g

11/02/2026

11/02/2026

Join us tomorrow for the IAHPC free webinar in celebration of the 34th World Day of the Sick: Bearing the Pain of the Other: A Call to Compassion in Care.

Register 👉🏻 https://l.iahpc.org/m4k?f

09/02/2026

In this heartfelt reflection, Dr Amrita Shrestha explores what dignity truly means for children living with serious illness — not as an abstract idea, but as being seen, heard and respected in every moment of care. Inspired by a simple yet profound encounter with a young child, this article delves into how listening to children and families in Nepal helped shape a dignity-centred model of care that reflects their voices, cultural values and lived experiences.

The piece goes beyond theory to show how dignity-focused training is changing clinical practice — helping healthcare providers connect with children more mindfully and compassionately. If you’ve ever wondered what it means to truly honour a child’s personhood amidst illness, this is a powerful read.

Amrita Shrestha MBBS, MD (Pediatrics), NFPM (Fellowship in Palliative Medicine), FRCP(Edin.) Palliative Care Lead INF Nepal Green Pastures Hospital, Pokhara,

08/02/2026

For the first time in Sri Lanka, a paediatric palliative care workshop designed specifically for nurses brought together around 80 nurses from across the country to build essential skills in caring for children with life-limiting conditions — from pain and symptom management to compassionate communication with families. This milestone event marks an important step in expanding paediatric palliative care capacity and improving quality of care in diverse clinical settings.

Organised in collaboration with national and international partners, the workshop combined foundational learning with hands-on case discussions that boosted confidence, strengthened communication skills, and inspired participants to integrate palliative care earlier and more holistically in practice.

Read the full article👇

  Authors: M.S.T. Guruge, Melanie Hameluck, Rizwana Hussain, Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration.   Why this workshop mattered Paediatric pall

07/02/2026

🕊️ Shaping the Future of Care: *MHPCC 2026*
The journey of palliative care is one of compassion, dignity, and specialized expertise. We are thrilled to invite healthcare professionals, students and advocates to the Malaysian Hospice and Palliative Care Conference 2026 (MHPCC2026)!

Join us as we bridge the gap between clinical excellence and compassionate care. This is your opportunity to connect with industry leaders, share groundbreaking research, and refine the skills that make a difference in patients' lives.

Why You Should Attend:
- *Expert Keynotes*: Gain insights from local and international pioneers in palliative medicine.
- *Interactive Sessions*: Deep dive into pain management, psychosocial support, and ethics.
- *Networking*: Connect with a community dedicated to improving end-of-life care in Malaysia.
- *Innovation*: Explore the latest trends and technologies in palliative and hospice care.

Event Details:
📍 Location: Shah Alam Convention Centre (SACC)
📅 Date: 18th - 20th June 2026
🔗 More info and Register Now: www.mhpcc.com.my

‼️ *Group discounts and early bird registration rate apply for a limited time period*

"Curing sometimes, treating often, comforting always." Be part of the conversation that ensures no one faces a life-limiting illness alone.

Secure your spot today and enjoy early bird rates!

07/02/2026

🩺 What really matters at the end of life—according to experts worldwide?
A global study of 193 end-of-life care experts across 121 countries reveals a powerful consensus.

👉 Pain and discomfort management matters most.
It outranked all other indicators of care quality—by far.

Other top priorities included:
✔️ Quality of life–extending treatments
✔️ Treating patients with kindness
✔️ Ensuring cost is not a barrier to care

Surprisingly, spiritual needs and non-medical concerns ranked lowest, and preferences were consistent across both high- and low/middle-income countries.

The takeaway?
While life extension often dominates conversations, experts suggest we may achieve greater value by shifting focus toward comfort, compassion, and access—especially in resource-constrained settings.

As we continue shaping palliative and end-of-life care, this raises an important question:
💬 Are our systems truly aligned with what matters most to patients at the end of life?

📝 Finkelstein, E. A., & Gonzalez Sepulveda, J. M.

📖 Palliative Medicine

🔗 Read the full article for more — link in the comments!

07/02/2026

Nurses are the backbone of palliative care, but a new editorial asks the "inconvenient question" we often avoid: Why are nurses still fighting for a seat at the top leadership table?

From the bedside to the boardroom, it's time to talk about the power of nursing leadership and the barriers that still stand in the way. If we want to transform healthcare, we have to empower the people who provide the most care.

Read more👇

The two-day nurses’ conference organised by the Institute of Palliative Medicine (IPM) – NURSEPALCON 2026 - brought together nearly 200 community palliative

06/02/2026

In a recent feature by The New Indian Express, veteran cardiologist Dr. Eric Borges discusses the urgent need to expand palliative care beyond oncology and end-of-life scenarios. Highlighting the success of the Sukoon Nilaya model, Dr. Borges points out that many patients with chronic non-cancer illnesses suffer because the healthcare system is primarily focused on curative treatment. The biggest hurdle? A lack of integration in mainstream medical education. By training the next generation of doctors and nurses in supportive care and rehabilitation, we can ensure that "care beyond cure" becomes a standard, not an exception.

Read the full interview👇

Palliative care in India is often limited to cancer and end-of-life care. Challenging this perception, Dr Eric Borges, veteran cardiologist and chairman of the

05/02/2026

Death, dying, and grieving are often treated as strictly medical events, but the Compassionate Communities approach is changing the narrative. It’s about recognising that supporting someone at the end of life isn’t just the job of doctors and nurses—it’s a role for all of us.

By building stronger social networks and "compassionate circles" around those in need, we can ensure no one faces these difficult journeys alone. Check out this insightful piece from the Perron Institute that demystifies this community-led model and explains how we can all play a part in a more compassionate society.

Read the full article here👇

Building community capacity in end-of-life care and dispelling misconceptions are themes of a recently published editorial in the journal Palliative Care and

04/02/2026

📣The Cynthia Goh Palliative Care Institute invites you to attend the Cynthia Goh Distinguished Lectureship 2026 via Zoom on Friday, 13 February 2026!

Dr Rosalie Shaw will be delivering this year’s lecture entitled “The Power of Presence: Bringing the Person Back into Focus”.

The Cynthia Goh Distinguished Lectureship honours the legacy of Professor Cynthia Goh, a pioneer and visionary of palliative care in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific. The lectureship serves as a platform for thought leaders, clinicians, researchers, educators, administrators, and policymakers to share insights, advance knowledge, and inspire collaboration. It stands both as a tribute to Cynthia’s lifelong dedication to palliative care and as a catalyst to sustain her vision of universal access to compassionate, high-quality palliative care.

🔗Register here to receive your Zoom link: https://synapxe.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yEgWOf1iTdS-goe_rtNLBA #/registration