Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care Online

Nurses, social workers and educationalists from UK hospices, palliative care teams and two motor neurone disease projects were also honoured at the Awards which reflected their creativity and excellence in multidisciplinary teamwork, development, education and non-cancer symptom management.

This annual award, sponsored this year by Macmillan Cancer Support and ProStrakan, highlights and rewards excellence in evidence-based palliative care. More information on individual winners is available at: http://www.ijpn.co.uk/

Eduardo IIbarra, President of the Latin American Federation of Associations for the Study of Pain (FEDELAT) requests support for a motion put forward in a letter dated 1 February 2008 to the Hon. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations and to the High Commissioner on Human Rights, Hon. Louis Arbour, calling for the recognition of pain treatment and the provision of palliative care to be promoted to the level of Fundamental Human Rights. The letter calls for the proclamation to be made on 10 December on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Supporters of the motion can fill out a petition form at: http://www.pain-initiative-un.org/

I am an experienced social worker and have been employed for the past three years, as a social worker in a hospice for adults in Stoke on Trent, England. The international dimension to social work is an area that I am very interested in. I would welcome the opportunity to visit a hospice that employs social workers in either Australia, New Zealand, USA or Canada. This would be a short visit, to review and learn how other social workers work within a palliative care setting. Please contact Tina Forrester at: tinaforrester@btinternet.com

Hospice in the West, Krugersdorp, South Africa is seeking Nursing Services Manager and Social Worker. Both posts require fluency in Afrikaans and English.
For more information contact Helene Pieters (Nursing Manager) or Marisa Wollheim (Director). Email: westrandhospice@absmail.co.za

Team Leader (Training and Technical Assistance); Team Leader (Finance and Support Services); Organisation Development Specialist (two posts); Knowledge Manager Specialist and Sexual and Reproductive Health and HIV&AIDS Specialist.
The mission of the Centre for African Family Studies (CAFS) is to improve lives of African families through skills development, knowledge management, and technical assistance in health land development. Most posts are based in Kenya; one in Togo. For more information see: http://www.cafs.org

The Indian Association of Palliative Care and CanSupport have published Guidelines for home based palliative care services. The guidelines include sections on the principles, components and the ethical issues of providing a home based service. The publication lists contact details for palliative care organisations in India, topics for training, and contains useful templates for assessments and consent letters. Copies of the guidelines can be obtained from Jolly Verma at: cansup_india@hotmail.com. The price is Rs.250/- plus postage.

Excerpts from his speech including an introduction by Prof. Rick Traynor, Principal of King’s College London, and Irene Higginson, Professor of Palliative Care and Policy, can be viewed on the Downing Street YouTube channel. 

MEASURE DHS has announced new reports on Tanzania, Rwanda, Peru, and Nepal. For more information and to download free copies see: http://www.measuredhs.com/

A new Regional Expertise Centre on Palliative Care in Romania - REPACARO opened in the Olt region in January 2008. The Centre will deliver information, consultancy and training to palliative care at home teams. The Centre, which received a grant from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is the result of co-operation between the Romanian Ministry of Health, the Health Insurance House and the College of Physicians. For more information visit: http://www.repacaro.ro

Producer: Chris Eldon Lee. A Culture Wise production for BBC Radio 4. The programme is online for a limited period.
Useful links: http://www.palliumindia.org and http://www.karunashraya.org/

An article published in Africa Science News Service on 14 February describes the difficulties facing palliative care patients and services owing to the recent unrest in Kenya. Home visits to patients have been disrupted and the situation is compounded by the displacement of large sections of the population into camps for internally displaced persons. Dr Zipporah Ali of the Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association reports that the number of patients attending clinic has drastically reduced and concern is growing that patients are suffering as they are cut off from services. Two patients at Eldoret Hospice cannot be traced after they were displaced, while Dr Julius Onyango, CEO of the Kisumu Hospice, describes how he was unable to get to the hospice after roads were barricaded in the city, effectively cutting off care-givers and patients. Nairobi Hospice reports that patients are wasting away because they are not eating properly while others break down emotionally when they narrate what they have been through and what they have seen others go through - they talk of the pain they have suffered due to not being able to access their drugs on time. http://africasciencenews.org/  

Dr Julia Downing, Deputy Executive Director, APCA writes:

APCA (http://www.apca.co.ug/) has just completed a three-day workshop on Advocacy for Palliative Care in Africa: a focus on essential pain medication accessibility in Southern Africa. The meeting was held from the 27-29 February in Windhoek Namibia, funded through USAIDS Regional HIV/AIDS Program, and with technical support from WHO, PPSG, OSI and FHSSA/NHPCO. It was attended by participants from Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. The teams from each of these countries included participants who were willing to advocate for policies that make palliative care and essential palliative care medicines, including opioids, available and accessible in their respective countries. Such individuals included: Senior / Chief pharmacists, Drug regulatory authorities; Pharmacy Board / Council representative; Ministry of Health clinical services and / or policy personnel and palliative care providers. The workshop was opened by the Minister of Health and Social Services Mr. Richard Kamwi and the US Ambassador Dennise Mathieu who both pledged their support for the development of palliative care and ensuring access to appropriate medications.

The first day of the workshop was also attended by a wider group of stakeholders from Namibia and issues discussed such as why we need palliative care, pain control in adults and children, access to medications and the essential medications for palliative care. In day two the country teams presented the situation in their countries with regards to palliative care and in particular access to analgesics. Following these presentations and some information as to how to address some of the challenges and develop strategic plans, the teams worked together with technical input to develop individual country strategies for how to improve access to essential medicines for palliative care and in particular opioids. These country strategies were shared and APCA will be following up the teams at regular intervals and supporting them in the implementation of these strategies. This was the third in a series of workshops addressing such issues, following on from one for East Africa in Entebbe 2006, West Africa n Ghana 2007 and now Southern Africa in Namibia 2008.

The organising committee of the EAPC Research Forum 2008 invite you to join fellow researchers and practitioners on board the coastal express Hurtigruten and meet the world’s leading experts in pain, cachexia and depression in palliative care. After the pre-conference sessions, delegates will return to the conference city of Trondheim by plane. The seminar is organised jointly by the EAPC Research Network and the European Palliative Care Research Collaborative (EPCRC), a multinational EU funded project (http://www.epcrc.org). The seminar will be CME accredited. You can download full details of the pre-conference seminar at: http://www.eapcnet.org/research2008, together with full information on the rest of the 5^th Research Forum 2008 conference.

EAPC invites all representatives of national associations in Europe to submit their commitments and priorities to develop palliative care in their country or region. For further information and to download the Budapest Commitments template, please visit the EAPC website.

[Source: press release, Ministerul Sanatatii, Hospice Casa Sperantei and Federatia Asociatiilor Bolnavilor de Cancer, March 2008].

The Ministry of Health (MoH), Hospice Casa Sperantei Foundation (HCS) (http://www.hospice.ro) and the Federation of Associations for Cancer Patients (FABC) have agreed to sign a partnership with a view to developing the first National Palliative Care Plan in Romania, being a component of the National Cancer Plan. Some of the key terms of the agreement include: commitment from the MoH to name a person responsible for the definition and implementation of the national plan; to provide specialist expertise in public health, health service economics, service management, psychology, information systems, communications, multi-disciplinary working etc; to set up a sub-committee for palliative care within the Oncology Commission (an HCS representative will sit on the Commission); to support HCS in the running and accreditation of the national resource centre and hospice education centre and to include the National Palliative Care Plan in the National Cancer Plan in the public health system. HCS, working closely with the MoH representative, will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of the plan; informing and consulting with other palliative care organisations and the Oncology Commission and evaluating the needs of palliative care services at national level. HCS will also contribute to public and professional education.

Dr Biju Raghavan, Organising Secretary, writes:
Quality and Coverage was the theme of IAPC’s annual conference held in Kochi, Kerala, 8-10 February 2008 and hosted by the Consortium of Pain and Palliative Care Units in Ernakulam District. Can “quality of care” be discussed only in the context of developed countries? Is it too much of a luxury in a developing country? This issue was discussed during the conference plenary with more than 400 participants. It was unanimously concluded that quality was not a luxury, but an essential requirement during the early days of palliative care development in any country.

Attempts to address this issue were initiated by the NGO, Pallium India, in 2006. The US-based National Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) offered financial aid to the project and Dr Stephen Connor gave his expertise and time. Following the drafting of an action plan in Mumbai in February 2007, the group met again in Kochi in February 2008 and prepared a draft document for National Standards in Palliative Care, which formed the basis of discussion at the conference plenary. A final document, incorporating suggestions from the plenary, was submitted to IAPC for consideration and may be viewed on Pallium India’s website at http://www.palliumindia.org (follow the links National Standards for Palliative Care in India). If you’re interested in quality improvement or in national standards, please review and send your comments to pallium.india@gmail.com for submission to the IAPC.

Panel discussion at the plenary: (left to right): Dr Stephen R. Connor, Dr Maryann Muckaden, Dr Suresh Reddy and Dr MR Rajagopal

The palliative care community of India honoured Dr Robert G.Twycross with a citation for his exceptional contribution to palliative care in India. It was presented to him by Dr Sukdev Nayak, president of IAPC, during the conference. Dr Twycross’ contributions to the Indian palliative care scene span over 15 years. He frequently visited India twice a year, travelling throughout the country, lecturing and mentoring. Often he would lecture in other countries to raise funds for his work in India. Most palliative care physicians in India are either his students or his students’ students. He gave the copyright of his book Introducing Palliative Care free so that a low cost edition could be produced in India for just $2.5.
Reproduced with kind permission of Pallium India's e-newsletter, February 2008.

Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are becoming the principal place of care and the site of death of older adults in the developed world. Two recent issues of Cancer Pain Release, the publication of the WHO Collaborating Center for Policy and Communications in Cancer Care, review the challenges inherent in providing adequate pain control to elderly residents in long-term care.

In one, Joan M. Teno, Professor of Community Health and Medicine and Associate Director of the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research at Brown University Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island discusses aspects of the culture of nursing homes that impede proper pain management. In the other, the physiological changes associated with aging, polypharmacy, and the prescribing of inappropriate medications in nursing homes are described as barriers to proper pain care in the vulnerable elderly.

The two publications include links to recent resources on pain management in long-term care as well as abstracts of peer-reviewed articles about pain management for older patients in long-term care settings. To subscribe and receive print copies, please visit the WHO Cancer Pain website http://www.whocancerpain.wisc.edu/

The first version of the International Classification of Functioning core sets for head and neck cancer was adopted by an international consensus conference in November 2007. With the core set it will be possible to carry out an internationally uniform classification of patients with head and neck cancer. Before they can be used routinely they have to be validated. Psychologists with over five years’ experience in the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) and fluent in English who are interested in participating in the survey should contact: Sven.Becker@med.uni-muenchen.de

A report by the IASP in Developing Countries task force published in November 2007, presents the results of a survey conducted in 49 countries. The section on cancer pain and opioid use, shows that the percentage of patients receiving opioids varies widely – less than 10 per cent in parts of Africa and the Indian sub-continent. The report and summary are available at: http://www.iasp-pain.org.

Produced by the World Health Organization, Department of Medicines Policy and Standards, the newsletter provides the latest information from WHO on issues relating to access to medicines controlled under the international drug treaties and an evaluation of substances for their dependence producing properties. The newsletter will be published irregularly about once a month – to subscribe send an email to: accessandcontrol@who.int

The UK consortium on HIV and AIDS and International Development are producing a position paper on Care and Support. This draft paper outlines the key areas that care and support for people with HIV and AIDS requires. It also provides suggestions of indicators and recommendations for policy makers. If you would like to comment on this paper please contact: c.morris@helpthehospices.org.uk

As part of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) Developing Countries Project this grant of up to US$10,000 addresses the need for improved education about pain and its treatment in developing countries. To qualify, the principal organiser must be based in a developing country and must be an IASP member. Application deadline: 1 June 2008. Grant deadlines and application forms are available online at http://www.iasp-pain.org/grants.

[Seven former Churchill Fellows, all of whom are working in palliative care, describe their experiences in the Hospice Information Bulletin, vol.5, No. 4, July 2007].

The shape of the global causes of death, an article by Anna Barford and Danny Dorling, contains cartograms, based on World Health Organization (WHO) Burden of Disease data, showing the geographies of medicine, health care, disease and death. Maps include human poverty, Alzheimer’s and dementia deaths, and trachea bronchus and lung cancer deaths information. Includes 17 cartograms. The article is published in the International Journal of Health Informatics and can be downloaded free from Biomed Central at http://www.biomedcentral.com

The 2008 directory, published by NAM, lists over 2,000 key HIV/AIDS agencies in 184 countries with contact details listed in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. The directory comes as both a book and searchable CD. The CD contains additional resources including links to epidemiological fact sheets, HIV and AIDS in Practice and 15 booklets from NAM’s patient information series.
For more details, please contact NAM on +44 (0)20 7840 0050; fax: +44 (0)20 7735 5351; email: info@nam.org.uk or http://www.aidsmap.com. The 2008 directory costs £24.95 (p&p Europe £5, rest of world £10).

PCF3, the expanded third edition incorporating numerous important updates and new data, edited by Robert Twycross, Andrew Wilcock, is now available at http://www.palliativedrugs.com or http://www.palliativebooks.com, price £40.00.

An electronic edition of Alliance magazine (carrying news and analysis of the latest developments in philanthropy and social investment worldwide) is to be published in Spanish for free distribution throughout Latin America. Alliance will also be collecting news on philanthropy and social investment in Latin America. For more details see http://www.alliancemagazine.org

Strategies of Hope have released a new DVD/video United Against AIDS which tells the story of The AIDS Support Organisation (TASCO) in Uganda. An eight minute clip can be viewed on http://www.stratshope.org. The DVD/video and accompanying book written by Peter Ssebbanja are available from TALC, P.O. Box 49, St Albans AL1 5TX, U.K. Tel.: +44 1727 853869. Email: info@talcuk.org.  Website: http://www.talcuk.org.

Here we bring you news of a new film from Romania:

Hurting hearts healing hands is the story of Emanuel Hospice in Romania. It was born out of a vision to bring hospice care to the people of Oradea with life-limiting illnesses. The documentary introduces some of the people whose lives have been deeply affected by the team of dedicated professionals who work at the hospice. The DVD, Hurting hearts healing hands, 28.30 minutes, is available £10 incl. p & p from Eurovangelism, Tel: +44(0)117 961 5161. More information about the work of Emanuel Hospice at http://www.emanuelhospice.org  (in English and Romanian).

Help the Hospices is running a series of international grants programmes throughout the year for hospice and palliative care. Further announcements will be made through Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care Online and please keep checking the international grants section of our website.

This project is working with the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria and related structures to develop proposals which include palliative care, and produce evidence for future funding rounds. In three countries there will be specific collaboration to ensure proposal development. There will also be related global advocacy to global health institutions such as UNAIDS and WHO and specific advocacy linked to World Hospice and Palliative Care Day. The project is working with the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance Policy Advocacy workgroup. As part of the project, Help the Hospices will host a meeting at the Mexico AIDS conference in August to provide input to the Global Fund and support palliative care participants. Help the Hospices is currently writing up a toolkit on accessing the Global Fund and a report on the Global Fund’s support to palliative care.

As part of this work, Help the Hospices will be working to raise the issue of palliative care in several key forums, including the Global Fund's Partnership Forum, the PEPFAR implementers’ meeting and major palliative care conferences. In 2009 the project will continue to work closely with the Fund’s secretariat and board as it defines the strategy. In particular, we wish to identify ambassadors and policy papers to support palliative care that will provide information about the impact of palliative care and enable facilitative legal and policy frameworks. For more information please contact Nick Pahl at: nickpahl@btinternet.com

Help the Hospices, with support from the Open Society Institute, is holding a workshop in Mexico prior to the Mexico International AIDS Conference on 2 August, 2008 to support hospice and palliative care services accessing Global Fund funds. The workshop is an official, affiliated event to the AIDS conference. All costs of attending the workshop will be fully funded. If you would like to express an interest in taking part in this workshop or would like more information, please contact c.morris@helpthehospices.org.uk 

The Global Fund has issued its call for proposals for 2008 which you can see on the website http://www.theglobalfund.org. The Global Fund is particularly encouraging applications which include health system strengthening. Contact your country coordinating mechanisms to get palliative care included in the national proposal. If you would like support or information on any area of the Global Fund, please contact Claire Morris at c.morris@helpthehospices.org.uk

Alex Williams, who did such a fantastic job at coordinating Voices for Hospices for several years, has now retired. Claire Morris will be the main contact for the event which will now be coordinated by Help the Hospices. Voices for Hospices will take place on World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (http://www.worldday.org) every two years (the second Saturday in October). The next Voices event will take place on 10 October, 2009 and the Voices for Hospices website will be updated shortly. The commemorative brochure for 2007 will also be available soon.

If you have any suggestions as to how Help the Hospices could support you further with your Voices for Hospices’ activities, please contact: Claire Morris at Tel: +44(0) 20 7520 8250; Fax: +44(0)20 7278 1021;
Email: voices@helpthehospices.org  Web: http://www.voicesforhospices.org

Hospice Information offers a practical means of networking with colleagues at regional, national and international levels, helping people across the world to access the tools and training that enable them to develop their services and practice. We offer a personal enquiry service, UK and international directories, online directory of education and training, online job search, email and print publications and a free subscription service. We’re delighted to welcome visitors by appointment at our offices at Help the Hospices or St Christopher's Hospice. Please visit the Hospice Information website: http://www.hospiceinformation.info  or contact us at: info@hospiceinformation.info

Do you get to see our quarterly print magazine, Hospice Information Bulletin? Why not check out a back number on the Hospice Information website or take out a free subscription - see below. Better still, if you've got an interesting story to share why not submit an article for publication? If it's published you will receive a voucher which is exchangeable for £50 worth of Help the Hospices' publications. Please contact avril@hospiceinformation.info if you'd like to contribute.

Our subscription scheme enables any individual or organisation working in palliative care to receive regular information updates free of charge. The scheme is flexible too so you can choose to receive any or all of the following: Hospice Information Bulletin; Bulletin Alert (email contents preview); electronic news resources on UK and international news; eChoices (email listing of courses and conferences) and a range of discounts from other palliative care-related services. We're in touch with palliative care workers in well over 100 countries of the world. Welcome all new subscribers and, in particular, to our very first contact with colleagues in Antigua, in the Caribbean. Thanks to one of our UK readers, we were put in touch with members of St John Association Hospice and Palliative Care Service, which is in the very early stages of development in St John’s, Antigua. We are now delighted to welcome Mrs Grace Cephas-Lewis, Chair, and Mrs Agnes Meeker, Secretary. We hope very much to learn more about their plans in a future issue of WHPCO. Details of this new initiative are published in our international online directory at: http://www.hospiceinformation.info

If you'd like to feel part of the wider hospice and palliative care community please join us! Please contact: info@hospiceinformation.info 

This year the day is on 11 October 2008. World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is a unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world. The theme for World Day 2008 is "Hospice and palliative care: a human right". For more information, please contact Claire Morris, c.morris@helpthehospices.org.uk or see http://www.worldday.org

'Talk About Change' a film by young people with life-limiting conditions is now available on DVD. The DVD comes with written guidelines and is an essential resource for carers, families, young people and everyone involved in palliative care. It is based on in-depth interviews with young people who talk about transition and topics such as relationships, sexuality, independence and the journey from childhood through the teenage years and into adulthood. The film was produced by The Kosh arts charity and supported by ACT (Association for Children's Palliative Care). The DVD costs £10 per copy; to order please contact The Kosh at: info@thekosh.com To view a trailer visit: http://www.talkaboutchange.co.uk 

Here's a small selection of forthcoming events extracted from eChoices, our online directory of education and training. For more information please visit the training area of the Hospice Information website. If you are a subscriber to Hospice Information we will deliver eChoices direct to your desktop every quarter. Please contact Anne Mason if you would wish to receive eChoices, or advertise your events free of charge - echoices@hospiceinformation.info

April 11-12, 2008 – first annual international Continuing Medical Education conference (CME), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

This conference intends to establish an enduring forum and structure within which medical and public health professionals present and exchange knowledge and experience, and their application to health care provision and disease prevention. Please contact: confregistration@ihdn-uk.org

May 21-22, 2008 – the 5th Institution of Engineering and Technology international seminar on appropriate healthcare technologies for developing countries, London, UK

Please visit: http://www.theiet.org/aht 

May 22-25, 2008 – the 8th international workshop on resource mobilisation, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This conference will focus on providing training in all aspects of resource mobilisation and sustainable fundraising techniques. Please visit: http://www.resource-alliance.org/iwrm

May 28-31, 2008 - 5th Research Forum of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC), Trondheim, Norway

For more details please visit the EAPC website (for details of the pre-conference seminar see also 5.5).

June 6, 2008 - International Health Links Conference, London, UK

Further details available shortly at http://www.thet.org.uk 

June 18-19 and 25-26, 2008 - Advanced courses in pain and symptom management, Newcastle and Nottingham, UK

An annual update for senior palliative care professionals run by Sir Michael Sobell House Hospice. These courses attract UK and international audiences. Please visit: http://www.sobellhospiceoxford.org or email: ssc@orh.nhs.uk

July 7-9, 2008 – Cardiff University, ACT and ACH Palliative Care Forum’s 4th International Conference in Paediatric Palliative Care, Cardiff, UK

The theme of this conference is ‘speaking of dying: what are we saying?’
Abstract deadline – April 30, 2008. Please contact: Su Hayward-Lewis; Email: Haywardlewis@cardiff.ac.uk. For more details and to apply on-line please visit the Cardiff University website.

August 17-22, 2008 - 12th World Congress on Pain, Glasgow, Scotland

Sponsored by The International Association for the Study of Pain. Please visit the IASP website.

September 23-26, 2008 - 17th International Congress on Palliative Care, Montréal, Canada – (Trilingual: English, French and Spanish)

Presented by the Palliative Care Division of the Departments of Medicine and Oncology of McGill University, this year’s special focus will be on palliative care as a basic human right and how to develop and support initiatives in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Simultaneous interpretation of selected sessions, including all plenaries, into Spanish and French. Poster abstracts may be submitted until May 28, 2008. Early registration deadline: March 24, 2008. Please visit: http://www.pal2008.com or call +1 450 292 3456 ext. 227.

10-14 November 2008 - Multi-Professional Week, St Christopher's Hospice, London, UK

An intensive week of learning and updating in clinical palliative care. 35 participants from around the world work together. Attendees must have excellent English. Bursaries A limited number of bursaries are available for overseas colleagues from developing countries. The deadline for bursary applications is 1 July. Please visit:: http://www.stchristophers.org.uk/education  or email: education@stchristophers.org.uk 

April 3, 2008 – Cultural diversity in palliative care, Douglas Macmillan Hospice, UK

Topics include: the challenge of palliative care in developing countries – reflections from the field; older Chinese people’s view about cancer and end of life; death and bereavement across cultures. Please visit: http://www.dmhospice.org.uk or email: education@dmhospice.org.uk

April 8-9, 2008 – NHPCO’s 23rd management and leadership conference: advocacy in action – mobilising people and organisations to lead change, Washington, USA

Please visit: http://www.nhpco.org/mlc2008 

April 24, 2008 - Giornata Italiana, St Christopher’s Hospice, Londra

Augura il benvenuto a tutti i colleghi italiani che desiderano particepare a una giornata di studio intensivo in lingua italiana nel nostro ‘hospice’. I relatori parleranno in italiano o tramite un interprete. Website: http://www.stchristophers.org.uk/giornataitaliana 
Email: education@stchristophers.org.uk

April 29-May 1, 2008 - the 7th palliative care congress, Glasgow, Scotland

Organised jointly by The Palliative Care Research Society and The RCN Palliative Nursing Group and The Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland. Please visit: http://www.pccongress.org.uk/

June 2, 2008 – Modernising cancer nursing education, Brussels, Belgium

Train the trainers event for specialist nurse educators to update on the developments within the European Union, in relation to the Bologna agreement.
Please contact: eons.secretariat@skynet.be or visit: http://www.cancerworld.org/eons 

September 1-3, 2008 – 3rd biannual Palliative Care Association of Uganda conference on ‘palliative care across all ages: from children to old people’ Kampala, Uganda

Topics include: advocacy for all; palliative care for special groups; organisational development. Abstract deadline – June 30, 2008. For more information please email PCAU Secretariat: pcau@apca.co.ug

Octobre 9-10 2008 Colloque Francophone: Qu’est-ce qui marche bien en soins palliatifs? St Christopher’s Hospice, Londres, G-B

Ces deux journées à St Christopher’s vous offre l’occasion de découvrir ensemble les principes et les pratiques qui marchent vraiment bien en soins palliatifs. Contactez: education@stchristophers.org.uk http://www.stchristophers.org.uk/education

October 26-29, 2008 – The 2008 Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Conference: crossing the bridge to knowledge and sharing, Prince Edward Island, Canada

A chance for hospice palliative care professionals, volunteers, and family or informal caregivers to share experience and expertise on a national platform. Please visit: http://www.conference.chpca.net 

Keep the dates in 2009 and 2010

Start thinking about your abstracts!

January 16-17, 2009 – 1st International conference on public health and palliative care, Kerala, India

Abstract deadline: August 1, 2008. Please contact: Dr Suresh Kumar at: drsuresh.kumar@gmail.com or visit: http://www.pubhealthpallcare.in/

February 13-19, 2009 – Freedom from pain – 16th international conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care, New Delhi, India.

This conference will include the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance's (WPCA) fourth worldwide summit on February 11-12, 2009 and a one-day workshop on Interventional Pain Management Techniques on February 12, 2009.
Please visit: http://www.iapcon2009.org/ or email: iapcon2009@gmail.com

February 11–14, 2010 - 17th International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care, Trichirappalli, India

Please contact: Dr Mohanasundaram Thiagarajan at: mohs55555@hotmail.com

The Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) website, though not yet officially launched, is now online at: http://www.palliativecare.in/ The website contains information about IAPC and its mission as well as information about courses and training programmes. The site also includes links to the addresses of Palliative Centres in India and to the Indian Journal of Palliative Care.

Our thanks to Mary Louise Carr of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) for alerting us to this new resource for patients.

The AAHPM has introduced a new section to its website featuring patient education materials on hospice and palliative care at: http://www.aahpm.org. Written by physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare providers the materials provide information for patients facing serious or life-threatening conditions, alongside other websites providing helpful information for patients.

We record with sadness the death on 28 November, 2007, of Dato’ Francis Huang Chang Hsun, chairman of Hospis Malaysia since 2002. Dato’ Huang’s long involvement with the hospice began in 1994. A moving tribute to his significant role at the hospice appears in Hospis Malaysia’s online newsletter, Berita Hospis, 3rd issue 2007 at:  http://www.hospismalaysia.org. Dato’ Dr Peter Mooney, the founding chairman of Hospis Malaysia, has been appointed chairman.

Note: A country report of hospice-palliative care development in Malaysia has just been posted on the website of the International Observatory on End of Life Care. 

This year’s Service to commemorate the life and work of Florence Nightingale will be held in Westminster Abbey, London, at 6.15pm on Wednesday, 14 May, 2008. This Service also celebrates the professions of nursing and midwifery and all staff, both qualified and unqualified working in these services, are welcome. During this year’s Procession of the Lamp, the lamp will be carried by a Scholar of the Florence Nightingale Foundation and escorted by student nurses from the School of Health and Social Care, North East Wales Institute of Higher Education.

Admission to the ceremony is strictly by ticket only. Tickets are free and will be available during March and April on a first come first served basis. To apply, please write to Pam Mummery at: admin@florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk and include your full postal address. Or use the pro-forma on the website: http://www.florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk (under Commemoration Service 2008).

The UK Friends of The Shepherd’s Hospice, Sierra Leone, are holding a Quiz Night on Friday, 25 April, at 7.30pm at Princess Alice Hospice in Esher. The UK charity is now completely funding The Shepherd’s Hospice community palliative care team and are facing the funding of drugs as the local three year funding project has come to an end. Please contact Sheila Hurton if you would like to support this event: shurton.vfh@btinternet.com