APCA and WHPCA set to host the 7th International African Palliative Care Conference this August

Registrations are ongoing for delegates who wish to attend virtually as well as those who will travel to participate onsite in Kampala, Uganda.

Keynote speakers, exhibitors, workshop hosts, presenters and delegates are finalising logistics and other arrangements, and many took advantage of the early bird registration (closed 30 June).

Co-hosted by APCA and WHPCA, this year’s event follows on from the very successful 6th International African Palliative Care conference, held in Kigali in 2019 and attended by 500 delegates from Africa and beyond.

This 7th series is being held in the aftermath of the first waves of the global Covid-19 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 of medium and long-term complications of the Covid-19 infection, some of which are still to be fully studied. As such, stakeholders consulted in the process agreed that there is a need to focus on palliative care in the context of Covid-19 (or any other global or regional pandemic such as what we saw with Covid-19). The aim – to leverage the many vital lessons learnt and develop comprehensive and cohesive plans to ensure a better preparedness for a palliative care response in relation to adverse events of similar magnitudes or worse. Hence, the conference theme Palliative Care in a Pandemic, with several tracks covering research, emergency response models, and best practices. Access conference tracks here.

Focus on palliative care development in Africa

While conference participation and the content of presentations are global in context, deliberate attention is paid to solutions, best practices, research and projects that work in Africa. This, due to 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 share with each other whilst learning from fellow palliative care stakeholders in different parts of the world. Once again, a conference such as this presents the opportunity for a comprehensive appraisal of the situation, gaps and progress to date.

Delegate participation

The 2022 conference offers a unique experience. As a hybrid event, it allows more stakeholders to participate and provides registered delegates with the flexibility of being able to rewatch presentations.

To ensure an all-inclusive event, 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 certain period of time in order to accommodate delegates across different time zones.

Sponsorships and exhibitions

The conference offers opportunities for businesses and organisations to sponsor various aspects of the conference. These include:

• direct financial support to the conference secretariat to allocate as needed,
  
• an exhibition to showcase the company/organisation’s activities,
  
• convening or sponsoring 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 or
  
• 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, receive education and guidance from the highly informative and detailed scientific programme and interesting workshops together with the chance for collaboration and networking with experts from across the world. There will also be awards for leadership and innovative work.
In addition, options for both virtual and physical exhibitions are available, with registration for exhibitors opening on 15 June 2022.

Details of sponsorship and exhibition packages can be found on gro.eracevitaillapnacirfa@ecnerefnoc.

Pre-conference activities: African ministers of health session on palliative care and workshops


Several exciting pre-conference activities are lined up. These include the 4th African ministers of health session on palliative care as well as several 2-hour workshops that touch on the same material covered over the course of the conference in addition to expert and roundtable discussions – all of which will encourage 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 are not limited to:

1. EPEC paediatric palliative care workshop
   
2. Research workshop
   
3. Digital health workshop
   
4. Comparative models in palliative care: Perspectives from Africa, Asia, and the Americas
   

As per usual, the APCA AGM will also take place before the main conference, culminating in the election of new board members.

Further details of the conference are available here.