Written by: Trudy Giam, APHN Intern
Edited by: Joyce Chee, APHN Executive
In celebration of the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) 2018, the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN) organised the first ever collaborative webinar across the Asia Pacific region on 29th October 2018. We were honoured to have Dr Neo Han Yee to speak on the topic “Management of Dyspnoea.”. He is currently a Consultant at the Department of Palliative Medicine at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore. He was also a speaker for this topic at the 12th Asia Pacific Hospice Conference!
Preparations for this collaborative webinar started in August, where institutions in the region were invited to be part of this event by being a host site. We believed that having a physical venue would help to facilitate meaningful, face-to-face discussions among the participants. In addition, it would also allow fellow palliative care colleagues to catch up with each other and spend time networking over coffee and tea amidst a busy work day. In addition to existing members, APHN also worked with the host sites to make this special WHPCD session free for all to attend.
The event lasted an hour, encompassing 45 minutes of pre-recorded lecture and a 15-minute real time question and answer segment where participants could pose their questions via a message board. It was a touching moment when we saw colleagues from all over the region coming together at the same time and interacting on the same platform. It was virtual reunion indeed!
We had over 400 participants in this webinar. Most of the participants had found the content to be relevant and useful. Many gained new insights on this particular topic. Overall, it was an enjoyable and fruitful webinar experience for both the participants and the host sites.
This will not have been made possible without the support from all the organisations who offered the meeting venue, logistics, arranged coffee and tea, and even some even applying CME points for the participants. APHN would like to thank the following 25 organisations for their efforts and hospitality as the host sites:
- Australia – Palliative Care Victoria
- Bangladesh – Hospice Bangladesh
- Bangladesh – National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital
- China – Teaching Hospital of Sichuan University
- India – All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
- India – Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences Lucknow
- Indonesia – Dharmais Cancer Hospital
- Indonesia – Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National Hospital
- Indonesia – Graha YKI Jakarta
- Indonesia – Universitas Padjadjaran, Faculty of Nursing
- Malaysia – Hospis Malaysia
- Malaysia – National Cancer Institute
- Malaysia – Sunway Medical Centre
- Philippines – Good Shepherd Hopsital of Panabo City
- Philippines – Lung Center Of Philippines
- Philippines – Healthserv Los Banos Medical Center
- Philippines – Makati Medical Center
- Philippines – San Beda University
- Philippines – The Ruth Foundation for Palliative And Hospice Care Inc.
- Singapore – Khoo Teck Phuat Hospital
- Sri Lanka – National Hospital of Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka – University of Sri Jayewardenepura
- Thailand – Karunruk Palliative Care Center
- Thailand – Bumrungrad International Hospital
- Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital
Lastly, we would also like to thank all individuals who participated and supported this initiative in one way or another.
Due to the great success of this event, APHN will be continuing this collaborative webinar series in 2019. If your organisation is located in the Asia Pacific region and will like to join as a host site for this event in 2019, please contact the Secretariat office at aphn@aphn.org for more information.