Traveling Scholars Program Report
Sindu H. Manjunath, Ms.
Travel date: October 6, 2021
Name of Meeting/Event/Activity: 17th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care
Origin: Bangalore, India / Destination: Vilvoorde, Belgium
How was this meeting/activity helpful to you?
By attending the 17th World Congress of the European Association of Palliative care, I was able to interact with researchers in Palliative care across the world. The IAHPC scholarship gave me the opportunity to present and publish my abstract on an international platform. The pre-congress workshop by the WHO and plenary sessions provided me with a unique insight into how other countries have been able to structure palliative care resources on a community, primary, and tertiary level.
How will you new knowledge & acquired skills help in furthering your work in hospice and palliative care in your program/city/ or country?
In India, patients have a limited access to palliative care, and palliative care facilities are beginning to evolve and grow to meet that need. Being able to highlight our team’s research on the scope of palliative care in a chronic infectious disease like HIV gave me an opportunity to bring to light the dedication and efforts of all clinicians and researchers involved. I also was able to interact with other researchers from developing nations who are improving palliative care access in their countries. Of note, I found Prof Richard Harding’s talk on Inclusivity in Palliative care immensely impactful. Many learning points and practices from his talk that can be incorporated into routine practices in India, given our country’s cultural, religious and ethnic diversity.
How IAHPC Traveling Scholars Program be improved in order to help other future traveling scholars?
No comment.
Narrative summary highlighting the needs and challanges you face
The pre-congress workshop by the WHO and plenary sessions provided me with a unique insight into how other countries have been able to structure palliative care resources on a community, primary, and tertiary level. In India, patients have a limited access to palliative care, and palliative care facilities are beginning to evolve and grow to meet that need. This barrier to access exists both from the perspective of available palliative care resources, and the low-income backgrounds of patients. The WHO recommendations helped me identify how palliative care may be made available to a greater proportion of the population.
Being able to highlight our team’s research on the scope of palliative care in a chronic infectious disease like HIV gave me an opportunity to bring to light the dedication and efforts of all clinicians and researchers working to bring palliative and supportive care to our patients.
I was able to interact with other researchers from developing nations who are improving palliative care access in their countries. Of note, I found Prof Richard Harding’s talk on Inclusivity in Palliative care immensely impactful. Many learning points and practices from his talk that can be incorporated into routine practices in India, given our country’s cultural, religious and ethnic diversity.