Published on: December 29, 2025

9^th Pediatric Hematology Oncology Support Service Conference (PHOSSCON)

Date: 28th & 29^th Nov 2025 | Venue: KMC Manipal, Udupi

The 9th Pediatric Hematology Oncology Support Service Conference (PHOSSCON) brought together pediatric oncologists, social workers, psychologists, palliative care professionals, NGOs, volunteers and civil society organizations working in the field of childhood cancer and supportive care.

I attended this national level conference as a representative of Pallium India, with the objective of:

• Understanding the role of civil society in pediatric palliative care
• Building network with professionals and organizations working in oncology & palliative care
• Exploring collaboration opportunities for Pallium India

The conference provided a deep insight into the medical, psychological, emotional & community-based dimensions of pediatric cancer care.

Overview of the Conference

The conference included:

• Inaugural session
• Session 1: Presentations by NGOs
• Session 2: “Not about me but with me – Patient Centred Care”
• Session 3: “Bridging the gap: Challenges in delivering palliative care in Pediatric Oncology”
• Session 4: “Workshop for advancing childhood cancer care-Research Priority for India”
• Session 5: “Funding the Fight – Models that work”
• Session 6: “Access to Clinical Trials and Research study in India.”
• Session 7: “Improving survival outcome of ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) in India.”
• Session 8: “Roadmap towards achieving GICC goals towards 100% health coverage, 100% Access, 60% survival”
• Panel discussions

Key Learnings

The sessions strongly reinforced that Pallium India’s work is directly aligned with the national need for community-based palliative care, volunteer driven psycho-social support, home-based end-of-life care, capacity building of caregivers, advocacy for early palliative care integration.

During the two-day conference, I had the opportunity to interact with palliative care professionals, connected with multiple NGOs working in pediatric cancer care & palliative care. I exchanged contact details for future collaboration, and shared details of work with professionals from different states.

I discussed possibilities of training support, volunteer engagement, home care linkages and advocacy initiatives. These interactions have opened strong possibilities for national level collaboration.

Participation in the PHOSSCON at KMC, Manipal was an extremely enriching experience. I also got a chance to visit the Manipal Hospice & Respite Centre, a 100 bedded center in the outskirts of Udupi town, started in September 2025. Dr Seema Rao is the Director of this center.

I am grateful to the team at Aarambh Cancer Palliative Care Centre, Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra for inviting me to this conference.

---

---