Celebrating contributions to palliative care for International Women’s Day

Paving the way for impactful and equitable quality end of life care and experiences around the world

Women make up the vast majority of the palliative care workforce globally, many of them in the most challenging environments. Every single one deserves recognition this #InternationalWomensDay. We’ve selected five extraordinary women for special mention, who, from Beirut to Bhutan and Sudan to Pakistan and Bangladesh, in some cases against all the odds, are establishing, extending and enhancing care for people at the end of life.

Lailatul Ferdous (Bangladesh)

Lailatul Ferdous is a Nursing Officer at the Department of Palliative Medicine, BSMMU, Dhaka. She serves as an Executive Board Member of the Palliative Care Society in Bangladesh (PCSB) and an Editorial Board Member of the Palliative Care Journal, Bangladesh (a Bengali-language journal).

Lailatul leads vital initiatives to expand nurse education in Bangladesh, helping to strengthen palliative care training and practice across the country.

Ruth Alderton (UK)

Ruth Alderton, an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, has recently returned from Pakistan, where she delivered palliative care training for nurses.

“I recently travelled with Dr Gill Horne, whom I met through the Global Palliative Nursing Network (GPNN) to Pakistan with PRIME International to share our skills and knowledge in palliative care with healthcare professionals and community workers. It was an incredible experience, and I am immensely grateful for this opportunity. The GPNN inspired me to turn my dream of teaching overseas into reality. A few years ago, I never would have thought it was possible!”

Farah Demachkieh (Lebanon)

Farah Demachkieh, a Senior Nurse at SANAD Hospice in Lebanon, has been instrumental—alongside her fellow nurses—in ensuring that palliative care services continued despite the challenges posed by war. Her resilience and dedication have made a profound impact on care provision in Lebanon.

Dr Halima Ibrahim (Sudan)

Dr Halima Ibrahim coordinates a palliative care unit supported by the National Cancer Institute, where she has been widely recognised for advocating further training and education in palliative care.

“The first thing you need is to be a good observer, to understand and respond to what is happening around you. You also need patience—because in Sudan, nurses have no voice—which means you must also have courage, as no one does anything for you.

“You must be an initiator, never afraid to take the first step. If you don’t start something, you’ll never achieve anything.”

Dr Yangden Paki (Bhutan)

Yangden Paki is a pioneering nurse leader in Bhutan specializing in palliative care. With a background in maternity care, she was instrumental in establishing Bhutan’s first palliative care service in 2018.

Despite initial skepticism, she embraced the opportunity and built a dedicated team, forming partnerships with the Bhutan Cancer Society and the Central Monastic Body.

She has played a key role in developing a national training program, expanding palliative care to half of Bhutan’s health districts, and planning the country’s first hospice, set to be completed by 2026. Yangden is recognized for her resilience, action-oriented leadership, and commitment to lifelong learning, contributing to the Global Palliative Nursing Network (GPNN) to further advance nursing in palliative care worldwide.

These are just a few of the many inspiring women leading the way in palliative care. The field is driven by women, yet much work remains to be done to amplify their voices and achieve true equity in care for all.

We celebrate and champion all the incredible palliative care professionals across disciplines. Thank you to our teams for the invaluable work you do.