The 1st West Bengal Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (WBIAPCON) concluded successfully at the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Kolkata, on Sunday, 23rd November, 2025. A total of 166 delegates participated in the conference, including 75 doctors, along with nurses, psychologists and social workers. The conference was organised by the West Bengal Chapter of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC)
The enriching pre-conference workshops were held on Saturday, 22nd November 2025, across various venues in Kolkata and neighbouring towns. A total of 35 delegates attended the workshop on ‘The Art of Communication’ held at Tata Memorial Centre, Kolkata. The workshop on ‘Cancer Pain Management’ at SGCCRI, Thakurpukur, was attended by 70 delegates, while 72 delegates participated in the workshop titled ‘Nursing Issues in Palliative Care’ hosted at CNCI, Kolkata. Delegates who attended the conference were from West Bengal, North east and Jharkhand.
The scientific sessions of the main conference were conducted in two parallel halls at TMC from 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, 23rd November, 2025. The 3 key note lectures were delivered by Palliative Care Pioneers:
- Keynote Lecture 1: Starting Palliative Care Services by Dr Geeta Joshi (President, IAPC)
- Keynote Lecture 2: Walking the Walk vs Talking the Walk by Dr Abhijit Dam (Past Secretary, IAPC)
- Keynote Lecture 3: The Journey of Palliative Care in India: Reflections and the Road Ahead by Dr Sushma Bhatnagar (Past President, IAPC)
Paper presentations, poster sessions, and various competitions saw enthusiastic participation. The academic agenda covered diverse themes, including symptom management, advances in palliative care, capacity building in West Bengal, and strengthening education in palliative care, and many more. The topics catered to a wide range of participants including healthcare professionals, administrators, volunteers, and the general public.
The conference was graced by eminent national and international faculty and champions of palliative care, including: Dr Geeta Joshi (President, IAPC), Dr Raghu S Thota (Secretary, IAPC), Dr Sushma Bhatnagar (Past President, IAPC), Dr Abhijit Dam (Past Secretary, IAPC), Ms Gilly Burn (UK), and Dr Seema Mishra (AIIMS New Delhi).
Renowned experts from West Bengal including Dr Jyotsna Goswami, Dr Soumitra S Datta, Dr Shrikant
Atreya, Dr Gaurav Kumar, Dr Suparna Mitra, Dr Rakesh Roy, Dr Rudranil Nandi, Dr Shikhar More, Dr Pankaj Chowdhury, Dr. Sumantra Banerjee, Ms Meheli Chakraborty, Dr Gargi Nandi, Dr Swagata Biswas, Dr Anurag Sarkar, Dr Indranil Ghosh, Dr Gautam Bhattacharya, and Dr Shyamal Sarkar further enriched the scientific discussions.
Senior administrators and policy leaders also participated in strategic discussions aimed at strengthening palliative care services in West Bengal. Dignitaries included Dr Debasish Bhattacharya (Ex-DME), Dr. Subhranshu Dutta (ADHS, NCD II, WB), Dr. Pankaj Chowdhury (Community Palliative Care Physician), Dr P Arun, Dr Sanjay Kapoor, Mr Shantanu Chakraborty, Dr Sourav Dutta, and Dr Arnab Gupta. Palliative care programme leads from various districts also attended, with Dr Koushik Roy and Dr Soma Ghosh among the participants representing the palliative care workforce in district hospitals in West Bengal.
The inaugural WBIAPCON not only served as an academic platform for palliative care professionals but also played an important role in raising awareness among the public, media, healthcare community and government stakeholders.
The event received overwhelmingly positive feedback, inspiring confidence to host future regional conferences and eventually a national-level conference. The organising team expressed hope that this event will further strengthen the mission of spreading palliative care values across all levels of society, ultimately enhancing service to humanity.
The conference organising committee was jointly led by Dr Shrikant Atreya, Dr Suparna Mitra, and Dr Swagata Biswas (Organising Secretaries), while Dr Jyotsna Goswami and Dr Soumitra S Dutta served as Organising Chairs.
The General Body Meeting (AGBM) of the West Bengal Chapter of IAPC was also held during the event, led by Dr Rakesh Roy (President, IAPC WB Chapter) and Dr Debasish Jatua (Secretary, IAPC WB Chapter).
The IAPC extends its warmest congratulations to the West Bengal Chapter for their outstanding efforts in organising this landmark conference and making it a grand success.
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