It is now just 2 months till the 7th International African Palliative Care Conference! Registrations are ongoing for delegates who wish to attend virtually as well as those who will travel to participate physically in Kampala, Uganda. Keynote speakers, exhibitors, workshop hosts, presenters and delegates are finalising logistics and other arrangements, and many are taking advantage of the early bird registration which closes on 30 June.
Co-hosted by APCA and WHPCA, this conference follows the very successful 6th International African Palliative Care conference that was held in Kigali in 2019 attended by 500 delegates from Africa and beyond.
This 7th series is being held in the aftermath of the first waves of the global COVID19 pandemic, and in a period where there are still many uncertainties on whether we have seen the worst of the pandemic or if there may be a resurgence. In addition, there are risks associated with medium and long-term complications of the COVID19 infection some of which are still to be fully studied. As such, stakeholders consulted in the process agreed that there is need to focus on palliative care in the context of COVID19 or any other global or regional pandemic such as what we saw with COVID-19. The aim is to draw vital lessons learnt, and develop comprehensive and cohesive plans to ensure better preparedness for palliative care respponse to adverse events of similar magnitudes or worse. Hence, the conference is running on the theme “Palliative Care in a Pandemic”, and has several tracks that draw out research, emergency response models, and best practices that worked well. Access conference tracks here.
Focus on Palliative Care Development in Africa
While the conference participation and content of presentations are global in context, deliberate attention is paid to solutions, best practices, research and projects that work in Africa given the diversity in health care systems, and the disparities in palliative care development in different African countries. There are many lessons that African countries can draw from each other and from fellow palliative care stakeholders from different parts of the world, and this conference once again presents one such opportunity to get a comprehensive appraisal of the situation, the gaps and the progress to date.
Delegate participation
The 2022 conference offers a unique experience as a hybrid event that allows more stakeholders to participate and gives registered delegates flexibility that allows rewatching presentations. To ensure that the conference is all-inclusive and based on feedback from previous conferences, simultaneous interpretation will be available in French and Portuguese.
Sessions will be recorded and accessible to all registered delegates on demand for a given period to accommodate delegates from different time zones,.
Sponsorships and exhibitions
The conference offers opportunities for businesses and organisations to sponsor various aspects of the conference including;
- direct financial support to the conference secretariat to allocate as needed
- an exhibition to showcase the company/organisation’s activities
- convening or sponsor side events, breakout sessions, or workshops linked to the overall theme of the conference
- sponsoring high-level speakers and other technical experts to participate in the conference
- providing scholarships for students and other special interest groups to attend the conference
- supporting the cocktail networking event
In return, the conference presents sponsors with unequalled opportunities to develop new strategic partnerships, interact with policymakers across the continent, education and guidance from the detailed scientific programme and interesting workshops that will provide a lot of learning, and the chance for collaboration and networking with experts from across the world. There will also be awards for leadership and innovative work. There are options for virtual and physical exhibitions with registration for exhibitors opening on 15 June 2022. Details of sponsorship and exhibition packages can be found on conference@africanpalliativecare.org .
Pre-conference activities: African Ministers of Health Session on Palliative Care & Workshops
Several pre-conference activities are lined up, including the 4th Africa Ministers of Health Session on Palliative Care, and other 2-hour workshops that cover the conference tracks through presentations, expert and roundtable discussions, and all will have consistent audience participation, discussion and Q & A. Hosts are free to conduct the workshops in English, French or Portuguese. Some of the pre-conference activities taking place 23-24 August include but not limited to;
- EPEC Paediatric Palliative Care Workshop
- Research Workshop
- Digital Health Workshop
- Comparative Models in Palliative Care: Perspectives from Africa, Asia, and the Americas
The APCA AGM will also take place before the main conference as usual, and will culminate in the election of new board members.
Further details of the conference are available HERE
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