| How
to best develop palliative care across Europe remains
a challenge, but professionals and volunteers
within each country need to collaborate, as new developments
and initiatives are easier to put into practice through
collaboration. The EAPC is in the process of developing
this further, aiming for ‘one voice – one
vision for palliative care’ throughout Europe.
We need you as a member and as a collaborator, now and
in the future, and you will find information on how
to join the EAPC on the relevant section of our website
(how to join).
The
major source of funding for research and for development
of new healthcare programs is the EU. Millions of Euros
are available every year for high-quality projects,
depending on whether your project fits the EU profile,
but there are too few grants for palliative care projects.
Over the next few years, we aim to campaign for major
changes in EU grants regarding palliation. Through this
vision and by talking with ‘one voice’
to our national representatives at the relevant parliaments,
we can reach these goals, and when we do, it will make
it easier for you to apply for EU funding.
The
EAPC congress is the largest and most comprehensive
of its kind in the world, and can be considered as the
meeting point for all healthcare providers in our field.
The main congresses to date have been a great success.
We are now in the final stages of planning the 2003
congress at The Hague. A broad and challenging scientific
programme has been organised, with content ranging from
the molecular biology of pain through to symptom control,
bereavement, ethics and much more. Delegates will also
have the opportunity of visiting palliative care services
and nursing homes during the congress.
Research
in palliative care is increasing and two highly successful
EAPC research forums have been held Berlin and Lyon
as a result. The next
EAPC Research Forum is scheduled to be held
in Stresa, Italy in 2004. So that this forum is kept
focused, we have limited the number of participants
to a maximum of 500, so please keep yourself updated
by visiting the relevant section of the website at regular
intervals.
Research projects and abstracts are published in peer
review journals, and for some time, we have been aware
of the need for the association to have close links
to such a journal. Recently, Palliative
Medicine has become the EAPC’s research
journal. As you know, the European
Journal of Palliative Care (EJPC) was founded
by the EAPC and has for more than ten years successfully
brought important multidisciplinary information to our
members and to those who subscribe to the journal; the
new collaboration with Palliative Medicine will not
change this. EJPC will continue to be the journal of
the EAPC, but the association is in need of both a research
journal and a multidisciplinary journal, both of which
need your input. Therefore, we are looking forward to
hearing from you as a contributor and having you as
a reader in the future.
Via a process of collaboration we hope to reach one
of our main goals, that of achieving optimal palliative
care for all who are in need of it. The EAPC will
soon be able to support you in this by providing minimum
standards for palliative care (including pre- and postgraduate
training) and minimum requirement for palliative care
services.
All of these and many other subjects will be presented
and discussed during the congress in The Hague in 2003;
I hope to see you all in April.
Stein Kaasa, President of the EAPC |
