Kazakhstan & Ghana Conferences Motivate IAHPC Scholars

Enthusiastic involvement in Kazakhstan

Seven IAHPC Scholars attended Kazakhstan's 10th national palliative care conference, held in October 2025, which had the theme: “Palliative Care: Compassion Without Borders.”

Nadezhda Kozachenko. Used with permission.

Valentina Sirota. Used with permission.

"The discussions highlighted the need for greater integration of palliative care into oncology practice," noted Valentina Sirota, a professor in the Department of Oncology at Karaganda Medical University, who reported that she will strengthen palliative care components within the oncology curriculum, using updated WHO and EAPC recommendations. Also, "the conference demonstrated significant progress in developing national standards and clinical pathways for both adult and pediatric palliative care in Kazakhstan."

Nadezhda Kozachenko, a professor at NGO “Credo” in the Karaganda Region, agreed: "The system has become more organized and professional, and many new specialists have joined the movement. I was pleased to see how many new educational programs and training initiatives are being developed." Overall, "this conference gave me new energy and ideas."

Pediatric care took center stage at the conference, "reaffirming the importance of nutrition as a key component of pediatric palliative care, especially in improving quality of life and clinical outcomes," said Grigory Lukyanchenko, a pediatrician, gastroenterologist, and nutritionist at the Sfera Centre for Innovative Medical Technologies in Karaganda. " I believe that medical nutrition products should be included in the national list of items eligible for free provision, as adequate nutritional support is an essential part of comprehensive palliative care. And I believe that clinicians must play an active role in communicating with health authorities about the specific needs of children requiring palliative care."

Grigory Lukyachenko. Used with permission.

Irina Jabassova. Used with permission.

First-time attendee Irina Jabassova, head of the Neurology Department at Zhambyl Regional Multidiscoplinary Children's Hospital was inspired to state, "It helped me understand the general concept and philosophy of palliative care—something I knew very little about. It gave me strong motivation to start developing children's palliative care in my hospital and region."

IAHPC Scholar presentations & posters 

• Calculating Nutritional Requirements: How to Choose the Right Formula
• The Role of Clinical Pharmacology in the Effective Provision of Palliative Care
• Personnel Training and Educational Program Development
• Study of the Need for Palliative Care among Non-Oncological Patients: Results from a preliminary study

Discussions moderated or co-moderated by IAHPC Scholars

• The Role of Cooperation Between Healthcare Organisations and Social Protection Services
• Barriers to Access to Essential Medicines in Palliative Care
• Development of Training and Research in Palliative Care

Ghana Conference Marks 30 Years of the Association

Bridget Adzakpo. Used with permission.

Four IAHPC Scholars attended the Ghana Palliative Care Association Conference in October 2025, the year the association celebrated its 30-year anniversary. The trio represented a range of experience: a caregiver, a hospital staff nurse, a public health nurse, and a health sciences student.

Eyram Amedzo-Adore. Used with permission.

The conference provoked caregiver Bridget Adzakpo, of Phoenix Health Agency, to begin researching the "Availability of Essential Medicines and Its Influence on Quality of Palliative Care Services in Public Health Facilities." Furthermore, she plans to hold workshops and seminars to train lecturers, thereby furthering the education of future palliative care providers.

Ho Teaching Hospital senior staff nurse Eyram Amedzo-Adore, vows to "nurse my patients with dignity and empathy. I will make my shoulder available for them to cry on and also share good memories with them." This fits with one of her main takeaways: nursing patients to a peaceful death—"one of the best things health professionals can offer."

Student Rejoice Mawusime Afi Awudey, who attends the University of Health and Allied Sciences brought home the important message that "All health professionals need to be trained on the essential skills used in palliative care." One such skill is empathy and simply being there: "People with chronic illnesses need someone to talk to, and that is the role palliative care."

Three of the most important aspects of palliative care were impressed upon public health nurse Patience Kiye, who works at Ghana Health Service. They are: palliative care is not only for end-of-life, it helps relieve distressing symptoms, and it supports emotional and mental health as well as physical symptoms. Used with permission.