Travel date: September 17, 2017
Name of Meeting/Event/Activity: 5th International Public Health & Palliative Care Conference
Origin: Kigali, Rwanda / Destination: Suntec City, Singapore
The 2017 conference of Public Health and Palliative Care International which was held in Ottawa, Canada and it was the 5th International meeting for palliative care and public health. This conference was built on the international momentum of the first four conferences, held in India, Bangladesh, Ireland. The conference gathered international palliative care leaders, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, public health, palliative care and other allied healthcare professionals; and carers/volunteers and community. This was a great opportunity on my side to share experience and expertise with on an international platform that brought together different stakeholders of Palliative Care. It was also an opportunity to link and network for improvement service in our respective countries. A number of esteemed professional international speakers were closely followed, abstract-driven workshops, oral presentations, and posters focusing on the different conference themes. Having obtained the travel support from International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC), was an opportunity to be the Voice of Palliative Care achievement in Rwanda and we appreciated once again the provided support. Being also chosen to present orally our abstract and participate in the driven workshop that attracted around 500 public health and palliative care professionals, our presence in this forum was a unique dual opportunity as the conference brought together multidisciplinary specialists from the global on palliative care and cancer
With evidence-based knowledge across public health and palliative care still disproportionately tipped toward developed settings, a dearth of culturally appropriate evidence remains for developing countries. In the context of current global discussions on the safe prescription, use, and storage of morphine, we will improve our way of working to ensure availability of morphine to our patients and be a voice of those in developing regions. We will also continue to advocate in our region to consider how international regulations can be alleviated as they can affect access is even more important the availability of morphine. Rwanda local morphine production model could serve as example that could be followed by other developing countries for comprehensively and sustainably ensure the best service delivery to our poor and needy patients living with pain, thus give them dignity.
The IAHPC sponsorship was of a great importance as it served an advocacy to get the missing amount for my travel. If funds allow, it would be better to get the entire sponsorship and the amount received could not cover the expenses.
No specific challenges encountered during my travel to the conference