From 10 to 13 November 2025, the 48th World Hospital Congress, organised by the International Hospital Federation (IHF), will take place at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG) focusing on the theme “Global learning, local action for every patient.” The Geneva University Hospital (HUG) and the Canton of Geneva are hosting the event. The congress brings together hospital executives and senior managers from health systems worldwide. 1,500 participants from more than 80 countries are expected.
The IHF is the only organisation that provides hospital leaders from around the world with a dedicated forum for building expertise and encouraging best practice in health service delivery. It enables hospitals and healthcare organisations everywhere to share real-world experience and innovative, accessible, sustainable practice.
This is the first time the congress will be held in Geneva, the IHF’s headquarters. Switzerland has hosted two previous conferences, in Lucerne in 1955 and Lausanne in 1983.
Pierre Maudet, Cantonal Minister for Health and Mobility, comments: “At a time when health tops the global agenda, welcoming hospital leaders underscores Geneva’s unique position, where diplomacy becomes a driving force for innovative health governance.”
Ronald Lavater, CEO of the IHF, welcomes the congress being held in Geneva: “This global gathering is designed as a crossroads for innovation in healthcare and for the development of hospitals that are more effective, more sustainable and more cost-efficient.”
Robert Mardini, Director general of HUG, underlines the importance of this meeting in driving progress toward sustainable care worldwide: “As the first hospital in Europe and the second globally to receive the Healthcare Sustainability Certification from the Joint Commission International, HUG has a key role to play at this congress. Its teams will contribute their expertise in delivering sustainable healthcare and in placing patients at the heart of human-centred approach, focused on individuals’ well-being.”
Five key themes
Over a hundred lectures, panel discussions, masterclasses and workshops will be held during the four days of the congress. This edition of the congress will focus on the theme “Global learning, local action, for every patient”, that is, “sharing knowledge internationally and embedding it locally for the benefit of all patients.” The aim is to foster interactions between academic institutions, international organisations and health systems such that every hospital can draw benefit.
The programme is structured around five key themes:
• Leadership imperatives
• Clinical models that improve quality and safety for patients
• Sustainable, resilient, low-carbon healthcare
• Digital transformation and AI in care and hospital operations
• Human-centred experience at the heart of all care activities.
See the full
programme.
Innovation and excellence
A significant focus will also be placed on innovation, notably through an “i to-i Innovation Hub”, from idea to implementation. Cutting-edge practices and technologies with the potential to transform hospitals and health facilities will be showcased. The Innovation Hub will have a dedicated space to stimulate exchange and allow participants to interact directly with innovators.
See the
line-up of innovations and organisations in the Hub.
Awards Gala and visits to hospitals and health institutions
On 12 November, a special IHF Awards gala will mark the 10th anniversary of the programme recognising excellence in hospital leadership and care.
To complement the thematic sessions, guided tours of hospitals and international institutions have been made available on November 10, 13 and 14. Those registered on the HUG circuit will be able to discover, alongside respective heads of unit, the Centre de l’innovation [Innovation Centre], the Swiss Foundation for Innovation and Training in Surgery (SFITS), the operating theatre and electrophysiology suite coupled with an MRI imaging room (GIBOR), and the Maison de l’enfance et de l’adolescence [the House of Childhood and Adolescence]. HUG’s sustainability initiatives will also be presented.
Visits to the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) and to neighbouring hospitals in Vaud and in France are also on the programme.
Accreditation for journalists
Media wishing to cover the event or request further details can contact the HUG Media and Public Relations service directly.