Time is running out to register at Early Bird rates for the 3rd ICPCN Conference

You have only 19 days left to register at the very low Early Bird rates to attend the 3rd ICPCN Conference Inspiration, Innovation, Integration to take place in Durban, South Africa from 30 May – 2 June 2018.

The biennial conference, aimed at all members of the multidisciplinary team providing hospice and palliative care for neonates, toddlers, children and young adults, follows on the successes of the two previous ICPCN conferences held in Mumbai, India in 2014 and in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2016. The conference programme will include plenary and abstract led concurrent sessions covering issues relevant to doctors, nurses, psychologists, researchers, counsellors, social workers, spiritual leaders, educators and therapists. Family members and those who volunteer within the field will also be catered for.

Pre-conference workshops

A full day of pre-conference workshops on 30 May will include a workshop on the effective management of pain in children, led by Dr Satbir Jassal (MBE), chair and editor of the Association for Paediatric Palliative Medicine (APPM) Master Formulary, as well as workshops on children’s palliative care in humanitarian situations, perinatal palliative care, difficult conversations in children’s palliative care and ethical considerations in children’s palliative care.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points will be allocated for the workshops and the conference by a South African academic institution.

Plenary speakers

Delegates can look forward to hearing from the following inspirational and internationally acclaimed speakers:

Dr MR Rajagopal Founder-Chairman of Pallium India and recipient of the Human Rights Watch Alison Des Forges award for “Extraordinary activism in promoting the notion that denial of pain relief is a violation of human rights” and the person whose contribution to palliative care is featured in the film, “Hippocratic: 18 experiments in gently shaking the world”.

Dr Pat Carragher Medical Director for Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) and Chair of the Association of Paediatric Palliative Medicine and a Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Sister Frances Dominica OBE founder of Helen and Douglas House, the very first children’s hospice.

Professor Julia Downing Chief Executive of the ICPCN, Conference Chair and International Palliative Care Consultant.

Kelly du Plessis CEO and Founder of Rare Diseases South Africa and mother of a child diagnosed with Pompe disease.

Linda Ganca Lecturer and convenor of the palliative care undergraduate programme at the University of Cape Town Faculty of Health Sciences.

Dr Satbir Jassal MBE Medical Director of Rainbows Children’s Hospice, author of the Rainbows Children’s Hospice Symptom Control Manual, co-author of the Oxford Handbook of Paediatric Palliative Medicine, chair and editor of the APPM Master Formulary.

Dr Ana Lacerda Paediatric oncologist and coordinator of the Paediatric Palliative Care Task Forces at the Portuguese Association of Palliative Care and the Portuguese Paediatric Society and founding member of the Portuguese Observatory of Palliative Care.

Dr Neil McKerrow Head: Paediatrics and Child Health for KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Dr Michelle Meiring Paediatrician,Founding Director of Paedspal, convenor of the post graduate diploma in Paediatric Palliative Medicine at University of Cape Town and chair of PatchSA.

Dr Regina Okhuysen-Cawley Representative for Latin America on the ICPCN Board of Trustees and paediatrician affiliated with Texas Children’s Hospital.

Professor Danai Papadatou Author of the book In the Face of Death: Professionals who Care for the Dying and the Bereaved, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the School of Health Sciences at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, co-founder and president of “Merimna”, the only association in Greece providing paediatric palliative home care services and bereavement support for children, adolescents, families, schools and communities.

Huyaam Samuels A young adult living with a rare medical condition and the Youth Ambassador for PatchSA who has advocated for access to pallaitive care on global platforms through her work with the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Association (WHPCA)

Film premiere

The conference organising committee is delighted to announce that the conference will hold the premiere showing of the film ‘Hippocratic:18 Experiments in Gently Shaking the World’ in South Africa. Dr MR Rajagopal will be present to introduce the acclaimed film about his work in palliative care as will filmmakers Mike and Sue Hill from Moonshine Agency.This compelling documentary will inspire all those passionate about the power of the human spirit, human rights and social justice and is essential viewing for anyone working in health care, medicine, nursing and public health.

Registration fees

Conference fees are set on a sliding scale related to profession and where delegates reside, according to their SADC membership and the World Bank country income classification. These are:

Low and Lower middle income countries and all SADC* countries
High and Upper middle income countries (excluding SADC countries)

* SADC (Southern African Development Community) countries which include: Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia & Zimbabwe)

Enduring legacy

Conference Chair, Professor Julia Downing, says, “The ICPCN strongly believes that this conference will not only enlighten and inspire all those who attend, but will make a vital contribution to building a positive and enduring legacy of passionate healthcare workers and other professionals, empowered with the knowledge and skills to further develop children’s palliative care provision within South Africa and abroad.”