The 48th IHF World Hospital Congress, organized by the International Hospital Federation (IHF) in collaboration with the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), was held from 10–13 November 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The congress brought together over 1,500 delegates from 86 countries and territories, offering a dynamic programme of plenary and parallel sessions, workshops, masterclasses, and poster presentations. Participants explored cutting-edge ideas and engaged with exhibitors showcasing the latest healthcare solutions.
More than 260 speakers shared insights across 50+ scientific sessions, while over 420 posters highlighted best practices and innovations from around the globe. A key highlight was the IHF Awards Gala Reception, where 500+ healthcare leaders celebrated outstanding projects and programmes. The congress provided unparalleled opportunities for knowledge exchange, discovery of innovative solutions, and networking with peers from across the global healthcare community.
As every year, UEHP could benefit from the long lasting partnership with IHF and our Secretary General, Ms Ilaria Giannico, attended the congress with a focus on three main sessions:
- The breakfast discussion hosted by Medtronic “From pilot to platform – Scaling healthcare transformation through partnership and distributed innovation“: Ms Giannico had the pleasure of moderating this rich and inspiring discussion on one of the biggest challenges our health systems face today – not how to innovate, but how to scale innovation sustainably. Together with Ramon Maspons Bosch (Catalan Health Service), Boubou Hallberg (Sahlgrenska University Hospital), and Frédéric Noel (Medtronic Europe), they explored what it really takes to move from promising pilots to transformation at scale. The key message was clear: transformation fails not from a lack of ideas, but from a lack of alignment. Governance, partnership, and culture emerged as the three shared enablers of scale, aligning incentives, building trust across sectors, and empowering the workforce to turn ideas into structured change.
- The Private Hospitals Leadership Lunch, an invite-only meeting co-hosted by Mr Bertrand Levrat, Group COO of Mediclinic, and Dr Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Group. It was designed to bring together senior executives from leading private hospitals for candid dialogue on practical leadership challenges, tested strategies, and shared insights across markets.
- The annual IHF partners workshop, which provided an opportunity to share experiences, explore good practices, and discuss potential approaches to strengthening hospital financing systems. Participants reflected on practical ways to improve the structure and sustainability of hospital financing systems, ensuring they are resilient, efficient, and better prepared to meet future challenges.
More about the congress: https://worldhospitalcongress.org/
We thank IHF for the kind invitation and we look forward to attending next year edition!
