The WONCA Special Interest Group (SIG) on Cancer and Palliative Care, in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN) SIG on Community and Primary Palliative Care, conducted a successful hybrid session titled “Universal Access to Palliative Care: From Global Evidence to Primary Care Action” during the WONCA Asia Pacific Regional Conference 2026 in Iloilo, Philippines. A total of 60 participants attended both onsite and online, reflecting strong regional engagement in advancing primary and community-based palliative care.
This session was coordinated by Dr. Shrikant Atreya and Dr. Karin Estepa-Garcia, marking the second collaboration between the two SIGs, following their first joint session during the WONCA Asia Pacific Regional Conference 2024 in Singapore, which gathered approximately 200 participants in a hybrid format.
A major highlight of the session was the lecture by Stephen R. Connor PhD, Executive Director of WHPCA who shared updates from the Global Atlas of Palliative Care. The lecture emphasized that more than 56 million people worldwide require palliative care annually, with over 80% of unmet need occurring in low- and middle-income countries. While global progress in policy adoption and workforce development has been encouraging, significant inequities remain particularly in access to essential medicines and community-based services. The key message underscored that achieving universal access requires strong primary care systems, expanded community-based services, and a trained workforce capable of delivering care close to where patients live.
Panel discussions provided practical regional perspectives from Dr. Mari Joanne G. Joson (Philippines), Dr. Chamath Fernando (Australia), Prof. Shao Yi Cheng (Taiwan), and Ms. Anu Savio (India). The panel highlighted real-world models of collaborative care between primary care, oncology, and community services; addressed barriers faced by general practitioners in delivering palliative care; explored advances in home-based care models; and emphasized the vital role of nurse-led palliative care in expanding access, particularly in resource-limited settings.
This joint session reaffirmed a shared commitment among clinicians, educators, and health leaders to translate global evidence into primary care action, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and advance equitable access to palliative care across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
Written by Dr. Karin Estepa-Garcia