Dear readers,
We have a new website!! Last year the board approved a proposal to update it so that we can keep up with the changes in technology and adapt to mobile devices. The members of the working group included Mary Callaway, Katherine Pettus, Danilo Fritzler (IAHPC webmaster) and Liliana. During several months we worked together to design and develop a functional, clean and easy to navigate resource. We are very grateful with Danilo for his hard work and congratulations on getting it done!! Please take a look and surf through the website – we hope you like it as much as we do!
In the past month two important events took place: The 15th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care and the 70th World Health Assembly. Several things happened at both meetings that will have significant impact in the advancement of palliative care in the world. Here are a few highlights.
On May 17th, and taking advantage that several of us were attending the EAPC Congress in Madrid, we had a meeting of the IAHPC Directors. In addition to both of us, Roberto Wenk, Julia Downing, Eric Krakauer, Mhoira Leng, Sushma Bhatnagar and Mary Callaway (via skype) also attended.
During the meeting we presented and discussed the IAHPC Annual Report from 2016, our current programs, future projects, the IAHPC financial situation and analyzed ways in which IAHPC might better serve its purpose and mission. We are very grateful to the directors who attended and provided valuable feedback and suggestions.
The congress was inaugurated on May 18th and the plenary room was packed. Almost 3,000 delegates from 60 countries attended. Congratulations to the EAPC, the scientific and the local organizing committees for an excellent congress.
Through the IAHPC Traveling Scholars’ Program, we awarded 28 scholarships to the following individuals from 19 different countries, so they could travel and participate in the Congress.
Congratulations to all of them for the acceptance of their posters and for winning the scholarships! We hope that they enjoyed the congress as much as we did and look forward to their reports in future editions of this newsletter. Look for future photos of the grantees and other great media featuring them in the near future!
As in previous EAPC Congresses, we had an IAHPC stand in the exhibit area during the World Congress. Pictured in the photo, IAHPC staff members (from left to right) Lina Rozo (Finance Officer), Genevieve Napier (Programs Manager), Ana Restrepo (Membership Associate) and Julia Libreros (Coordinator International Directories). Many thanks to them for their hard work during the days of the congress.
We also raffled an iPad among the individuals who joined or renewed during the congress and the winner was Dr. Marcos Lama, a family physician from Spain. Dr. Lama works at the palliative care unit in the Hospital San Juan de Dios in Pamplona. Congratulations on winning the iPad and thank you for renewing!
We were also very fortunate to work with Sue Collins and Mike Hill from Moonshine Agency in Australia. Sue and Mike are familiar faces to the global palliative care community – they filmed during the International Leadership Initiative led by Dr. Frank Ferris and produced and filmed the successful palliative care series Life Before Death, Little Stars, and Life Asked Death.
Mike and Sue are currently advising and working with IAHPC in a communications strategy, including the production of short videos that we can use later for fundraising and generating awareness about the work we do. Both were very busy during the congress filming several of the individuals who received IAHPC Traveling Scholarships as well as board members. Many thanks to both for their hard work and dedication!
During the congress Liliana received the Floriani award from the Floriani Foundation for her outstanding contribution for palliative care progress in developing countries. Many thanks to the Scientific Committee for her nomination and to the Floriani Foundation for selecting her as the recipient of this award.
After the award, Liliana gave a presentation calling on changes in healthcare systems for the inclusion of palliative care.
Two new publications, the Atlas of Palliative Care in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and the APCA Atlas of Palliative Care in Africa, published by the Programa Atlantes at the University of Navarra and co-sponsored by IAHPC and other organizations and institutions, were launched during the congress.
Congratulations to Dr. Carlos Centeno and his team and to APCA (African Palliative Care Association) and Balsam for these publications. The formal announcement for both Atlases is featured in the Resources and Announcements page of this newsletter.
Below some additional photos of the conference:
After the Congress, the 70th World Health Assembly (WHA) took place in Geneva. The WHA is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO). It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board and by representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in formal relations with WHO. The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed program budget.
Dr. Katherine Pettus, IAHPC Advocacy Officer, attended the WHA and in collaboration with colleagues from other NGOs, raised the palliative care flag during different meetings and side events. Thanks to their advocacy and efforts, there were many mentions of palliative care from member states and civil society organizations (CSOs) on dementia and drug policy agenda items. Interventions from World Heart Federation and International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, International Council of Nurses and partners all supported palliative care for refugees and migrants.
On May 23rd, also during the WHA, Member States of WHO elected Dr. Tedros Adhanom as the new Director-General (DG) of WHO. Dr. Adhanom was nominated by the Government of Ethiopia, and will begin his five-year term on 1 July 2017. Prior to his election, Dr. Adhanom served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and as Minister of Health in Ethiopia. He has also served as chair of the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; as chair of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership Board; and as co-chair of the Board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.
We look forward to Dr. Tedros’ leadership as the DG of WHO and hope that he will increase the support of the Secretariat to palliative care, especially in implementing the recommendations of the Palliative Care Resolution WHA 67/17 Strengthening of palliative care as a component of comprehensive care throughout the life course, adopted in 2014.
During the WHA, two important documents were approved: A comprehensive cancer control resolution and a Dementia Global Action Plan which have explicit language on palliative care.
In addition, issues related on migrant health, access to medicines and maternal/child/adolescent health were discussed which should always include palliative care but it is not always included in the language and statements. Read more information about the WHA in Dr. Katherine Pettus’ piece on the Policy and Advocacy page.
Until next month,
Lukas Radbruch, MD
Chair
Liliana De Lima, MHA
Executive Director
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