The Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN) was honoured to have received an invitation from the Japanese Society for Palliative Medicine (JSPM) to hold our Annual General Meeting (AGM) during its inaugural 29th Congress in Japan. Our 24th AGM took place at the Kobe International Conference Center, attended by members of the 23rd Council and potential new council members.
Dr Ednin Hazmah, Chair of the 23rd Council, warmly welcomed everyone and passed the session to our Executive Director, Mr Giam Cheong Leong, who led the AGM to a successful close alongside the present members. Dr Hazmah was then presented with a plaque in recognition of his service as Chair and shared a heartfelt speech expressing his gratitude to the council members and his hopes for APHN’s future.
The AGM concluded with the announcement of the nine elected members of the 24th Council, who co-opted the remaining six members to complete the council. We warmly welcome the new Chair, A/Prof Ghauri Aggarwal from Sydney, Australia as well as the rest of the 24th Council.
During the 29th Congress of JSPM, held from June 14-15 in Kobe, Japan, APHN was privileged to participate. We set up a booth to raise awareness about our work in the region and promote our upcoming biennial conference to thousands of participants. Despite the congress primarily catering to a Japanese audience, an English-only overseas track allowed several APHN members to present in a joint APHN-JSPM session on Primary Palliative Care in the Asia-Pacific region.
On the evening of June 14, the Japanese team graciously hosted a networking dinner for 22 participants, including delegates from various countries affiliated with APHN and palliative care professionals in Japan. It was a delightful evening filled with good food, rekindled friendships, and new connections. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Japanese team for their exceptional hospitality and for organizing this wonderful dinner.
Our trip to Kobe was indeed fruitful, marked by significant developments and strengthened relationships within the palliative care community in the Asia Pacific. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Japanese team for being such wonderful hosts.