The International Hybrid Conference – Palliative Care in Rural Nepal: Leave No-one Behind – was held in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 18th and 19th February 2025.
The conference was hosted by INF Nepal as part of the Sunita Project, a UK Aid Match Funded programme delivered by INF Nepal Green Pastures Hospital and EMMS International, a UK based health development charity. The conference was attended by the UK Ambassador to Nepal, Rob Fenn.
Participants joined the face to face and hybrid events from different regions of Nepal and abroad, including India, sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, Europe and North and South America. Virtual participants engaged fully in discussion facilitated by a ‘virtual chair’ and were also able to join on screen to ask questions.
The conference witnessed the launch of a Palliative Care Formulary for Nepal which has been developed by Nepali and international experts. It also included the premier viewing of “Sunita’s Story,” a contributor led film, following the lives of Sunita and Padam (real names used at their request), who have received support from the Sunita Project. The film provides a window onto the rural model of palliative care which the Sunita Project has developed.
Presentations focused on the findings of exploratory research into palliative care needs, health seeking behaviour and caring practices in rural Nepal and set out the outcomes from the evaluation of the Sunita Model. In a keynote lecture Professor Rajesh Gongal, Vice Chancellor of Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS) and Founding President of Hospice Nepal, movingly described the work he has led in rural districts over the last 10 years.
Professor Liz Grant, Director of the Global Health Academy, University of Edinburgh, which has been the academic partner of the Sunita Project, delivered the second keynote lecture exploring the importance of palliative care as part of Universal Health Coverage and global health developments. This was followed by a series of talks from around the world about palliative care in rural areas of low-and-middle income countries.
Accounts from Nepal on the impact the Sunita Project and other initiatives have made to palliative care delivery in rural hospitals and in the community were given by female community health volunteers, mid-level healthcare workers, nurses and doctors. These illustrated how far Nepal has come in developing palliative care for those in need in remote areas.
In his message to the conference, Chief Guest, the Honourable Minister of Health and Population, Mr Pradip Paudel, said “the government of Nepal has recognised palliative care as a fundamental health care need. In 2017 we introduced the National Palliative Care Strategy with the vision that every Nepali facing a serious, complex or life limiting illness should have access to quality palliative care, addressing not only pain relief but also the psychological, social and spiritual needs of patients and their families.”
He confirmed the government’s commitment to Universal Health Coverage for all citizens and thanked the Sunita Project and all those participating in the conference for working towards making this a reality. He concluded “Let us strengthen our collective efforts to enhance palliative care, expand rehabilitative services and improve support for individuals facing chronic diseases. Together we can create a more inclusive, compassionate and effective health care system for all.”
The conference proceedings have been recorded and are available online.
https://www.inf.org.np/international-conference-on-palliative-care-in-rural-nepal-session-recordings/ – conference proceedings
Sunita’s Story Film – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znnGKWgqUh0
This is the first International Palliative Care Conference in Nepal that has been fruitful in sharing and learning about the palliative care initiative in Nepal worldwide. It would be beneficial to continue such conferences at least once in 3 years.