Date: December 5-7, 2018 | Venue: St. John’s Auditorium, St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru
Dear Delegate,
Welcome to the World Congress of Bioethics.
We are less than 2 weeks from the Congress and it is turning out to be an exciting affair with nearly 700 registrations and still counting!! We have around 400 scientific papers being presented in various formats – Oral, Rapid round, Symposia and Posters. There are 4 plenaries structured around the Congress themes and sub-themes along with an inaugural and valedictory plenary. In addition to this, we have depiction of the Congress Themes through the Parallel Arts Festival. So be assured, that you are in for a huge treat!! In tune with the theme of the Congress i.e. ‘Health for All, in an unequal world – Obligations of Global Bioethics’, we have diverse participation from academics, scientists, grassroots workers, civil society, students, policy makers, marginalized sections of the world ensuring an inclusive atmosphere. We will have participants from nearly 52 countries from both High Income and low and middle income economies.
In order to make your congress participation smooth and enjoyable we are sending you detailed guidelines regarding your participation. Please read the instructions carefully. And of course, if you need help with anything, we are here to help you!
Schedule of Events
The main congress is from December 5-7, 2018. Here is a detailed programme.
December 3 – 4: Pre-Congress Workshops
December 3 – 5: Feminist Approaches to Bioethics (FAB) Congress
December 5 – 7: Main Congress
The World Congress of Bioethics will take place for 3 days from December 3-5, 2018. The Programme sessions will be from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm. We encourage you to attend as many programme sessions as possible including the pre-congress workshops to get maximum learning experience.
Please bring any materials that you would like to share or distribute, like books, flyers, policy briefs, brochures, etc., during the Congress. However, please note that THERE IS A BAN ON FLEX MATERIAL IN THE STATE AND HENCE AVOID FLEX MATERIAL.
Visa related matters
If you are a foreign/international delegate, then you may require a visa. We hope you have taken the necessary steps to avail the right category of visa. We have been suggested by our concerned person that a conference visa is usually required for this purpose. However, as visa categories and regulations vary from country to country, we urge you to please clarify the category from the Indian Consulate in your country. A draft invite is there on the website. Should you need an official visa invite, we request you to please fill it up and sent it to us on [email protected] immediately and we will revert at the earliest.
Presenters
Detailed guidelines are provided on the website for the various categories of presenters in addition to the email sent to you. We request everyone to adhere to the guidelines.
Bursary Awardee
If you have been provided the bursary from the Congress, congratulations! Now, please make sure you have got the following documents with you.
- If you have applied as a student, please carry your Student ID. This is very important.
- If you are an IAB member and have been provided bursary, please carry proof of your IAB membership.
- If you have been provided travel support, please do not forget to submit your boarding passes in case of flights and train/bus tickets. You MUST scan and mail the boarding passes of your return journey as well. This is a very important responsibility for auditing purposes so please ensure you do this.
- If your bursary covers accommodation, please read the accommodation instructions carefully.
- If you have got bursary for registration fee, please note that you have been registered internally. Please provide an Identity card proof at the registration desk.
Indian Medical Professional
If you are an Indian Medical Professional and registered with the Medical Council of India, please send your Medical Council registration number (state where you are registered) and address immediately to [email protected] before 26.11.2018 failing which we might not be able to give you the certificate. You could collect your CME certificates later during the Congress at the counter provided for this.
Registration
There will be a registration desk at the entrance of the venue. Kindly sign against your name and collect the kit. In case you have not registered and wish to do the spot registration, please do so by paying cash/swiping card and collect the receipt immediately. For those of the delegates who have arrived earlier and attending the pre-congresses/FAB, there would be registration counters open from 4th afternoon for such delegates to pre-register and collect their kits.
Currency
The currency of India is INR (Indian Rupee). Major credit cards are accepted at most restaurants and shops. Please note that cabs and most forms of public transportation in Bengaluru city will only accept cash. Please ensure you have INR currency with you before you come out of the Arrival hall. There are Foreign Exchange counters inside the airport and not outside and you cannot go back inside once outside.
Airport Transfer
We request you to take the transport (Airport shuttle/Taxi) from the airport to St.John’s National Academy of Medical Sciences. It takes 50 minutes to 1 ½ hours travel from Bangalore Airport to St. John’s campus depending on the time of travel and traffic. Traffic will be lean during early mornings and late nights and heavy during office hours Approximate driving distance between Bangalore Airport and St. John’s Medical College Hospital is 42 kms or 26.1 miles or 22.7 nautical miles. Travel time refers to the time taken to cover the distance by a car. Please note that travel times are estimates and may vary depending on traffic volume. We have arranged a travel desk through which you can book a cab in advance for drop and pick-up from the airport to the Venue and back on payment. Please check the website FAQ section for travel desk details. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE PAYMENT DIRECTLY TO THE TRAVEL DESK. Approximate cost will be around 1200 INR. You could write to the travel desk at [email protected] or call them in advance about your arrival/departure date and time. They will arrange your pick or/and drop accordingly.
There are other transport options like airport taxis, call cabs and the Airport Shuttle. Please note, shuttles do not operate between 00.00 and 04.30. The details are in the ‘Transport Options’ section of the FAQs. There are women friendly Taxi services as well. Kindly check those if you are keen.
Only for international bursary candidates: As most of the international flights land late in the night, and there were specific requests by some delegates, we have requested the travel desk to pick up the international bursary delegates from the airport in batches and bring them to the St. John’s Annexe where most of the delegates are accommodated. Please look out for the Placard ‘World Congress of Bioethics’ being held outside of the arrival gate at the airport. The Travel Desk shall try and club together 2-3 delegates and then bring them from the airport. Hence there might be a wait of about 30-45 minutes at the airport for some of the delegates. ALSO PLEASE MAKE THE PAYMENT DIRECTLY TO THE TRAVEL DESK PERSON. The payment could only be made in Indian Rupees. This is not for Indian delegates.
Accommodation
Most of the delegates will be staying at:
St. John’s Annexe 3,
St. John’s Medical College Campus,
John Nagara,
Koramangala,
Bengaluru – 560 034
Phone : +91 80262 74284
This is a simple, non-AC accommodation on a twin sharing basis, located within the scenic venue campus. Kindly show your ID at the reception counter and you will be allotted a room. You will be randomly assigned to a single bedroom with twin sharing with other participant of the same gender. Please note that no additional individuals (e.g. family members) are allowed to stay in your room with you, unless you have the informed the Secretariat in advance and got it approved. A map is also attached.
Some of the bursary candidates have been provided another accommodation at National Tuberculosis Institute. Each of the bursary candidate shall be informed their accommodation by a separate email. There is still accommodation available (very affordable) on payable basis at both the venues for those delegates (and their colleagues/friends) who are still looking for accommodation.
Please note that construction activities are happening around the conference venue hence some of you might be inconvenienced. So please be prepared for a patch of uneven roads.
Weather
The winter season in Bengaluru begins in December and continues till February. The temperatures during these months are pleasant and comfortable, making it the best time to visit the beautiful city. The night temperature in the city during the season settles at 16°C, on an average so it can get a bit chilly. There can be scant rainfall during this time due to the North-East Monsoon. So you can bring light warm clothes/woolens or if you are comfortable with the chill, just enjoy!
Food
Morning tea/afternoon tea and lunch will be provided by the Congress. The food coupons for each day will be given to you.
Most of the hotels serve breakfast for those of you staying in hotels. If not, then you will have to make your own arrangements for tea/coffee and breakfast. For those of you staying in St. John’s Annexe, breakfast is arranged around 7 am outside the Annex 3. There are few good restaurants near the venue (walk-able distance) – where you will have breakfast and dinner. Please note there is no arrangement of dinner made for anyone.
Drinking Water
The Congress Organizing Committee has made efforts to provide the safest drinking water. There are taps around the campus which give RO water. Also the Congress Committee decided to make this an eco-friendly one to the maximum extent possible, minimize the use of plastics and paper. SO THERE IS A SINCERE REQUEST FROM THE CONGRESS COMMITTEE TO THE DELEGATES TO KINDLY COOPERATE AND BRING YOUR OWN BOTTLES AND GLASSES. Safe, pure drinking water shall be provided at various points in the campus along with dispensers for the delegates to (re)fill their bottles. Also please note sale of water in plastic bottles would be discouraged in the campus and hence it is very important to bring your own bottles and glasses.
Contact Number / Emergency number
In case of emergency or if you want to get any sort of information, you may please contact the following people:
a) Prasanna: +91 99169 37280
b) Nagaraj: +91 98455 81133
c) Richa: +91 98338 91190
d) Dr. G.D. Ravindran: +91 98800 81770
e) Dr. Mario Vaz: +91 94483 55338
Travel in and around Bengaluru
For those of you either arriving very early or leaving late post Congress, there are some attractions in and around Bengaluru. The travel desk has also agreed to have a counter to cater to your local travel and tourism needs. Some of them are:
- Lalbagh botanical garden;
- Cubbon Park;
- Mysuru – the city of palace.
For any other information/query that you have, you can write to us on [email protected] and we will revert at the earliest.
And finally, welcome to the 14th World Congress of Bioethics and 7th National Bioethics Conference !! We wish you a very pleasant stay ahead and hope you have wonderful Congress!
International Association of Bioethics
Congress Organizing Committee
Congress Secretariat