World Health Summit 2025: Strengthening Global Partnerships for Healthcare Innovation

A New Era for Healthcare: India Takes Center Stage at WHS Regional Meeting

India made a significant stride in global healthcare leadership by successfully hosting the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, marking its first time as the host of this prestigious event. Over three days, the summit brought together more than 5,000 delegates from 54 countries, fostering discussions on critical health challenges and innovative solutions. Featuring over 950 distinguished speakers across 160 sessions, the event served as a vital forum for advancing collaboration, policy development, and healthcare innovation.

Strengthening international partnerships, the summit saw contributions from over 90 global institutions, including WHO SEARO, UNICEF, the Asian Development Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Siemens Healthineers. This extensive collaboration reinforced India’s growing role in shaping the future of global health, providing a platform for experts, policymakers, and organisations to address pressing healthcare concerns and drive transformative initiatives.

The inaugural ceremony featured participation from prominent national and international leaders, including Union Ministers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Shri Anurag Thakur, alongside Dr. Axel R. Pries (President of WHS), Dr. Ilona Kickbusch (Patron of the WHS Regional Meeting), Dr. Saima Wazed (WHO SEARO), former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, and top officials from the Asian Development Bank, UNICEF, World Bank, and NITI Aayog.

Centred on the theme "Scaling Access to Ensure Health Equity," the summit addressed key global health priorities, including climate and planetary health, universal health coverage, digital transformation, maternal and child health, mental well-being, emergency preparedness, and pandemic readiness. In his inaugural address, Prof. (Dr.) Balvir S. Tomar, International President of the World Health Summit and Founder & Chairperson of NIMS University, praised the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for transforming India’s healthcare system through Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

He described the initiative not merely as a scheme but as a movement promoting health, dignity and protection, offering ₹5 lakh annual coverage to millions of families, showcasing inclusive and compassionate governance. Additionally, he recognised the pivotal roles of Home Minister Shri Amit Shah and Health Minister Shri JP Nadda in advancing healthcare accessibility, affordability, and infrastructure reforms. The summit concluded with a strong emphasis on inclusive leadership and cross-generational dialogue, reflected in its 49.65% women's participation and 35% youth delegates.

During the valedictory ceremony, key leaders underscored India’s emerging leadership in global health transformation. Prof. Tomar described the summit as a global health movement, emphasising the need to translate commitment into action and knowledge into real-world impact. Meanwhile, Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal highlighted India's substantial progress in public health infrastructure, citing initiatives such as universal toilet construction, tap water provision, and expanded healthcare access, all contributing to a broader reimagining of wellness and public health across the nation.

Further reinforcing the significance of the event, Prof. Tomar noted that the summit set a new benchmark in global collaboration, advocating for health as a fundamental right and a foundation for peace and prosperity. Dr. Axel R. Pries, President of the World Health Summit, emphasised the summit’s role in advancing health equity and scalable solutions, while Dr. Anurag Agrawal, Chair of the Scientific Committee, commended India’s digital transformation, underscoring the summit’s lasting impact in fostering knowledge exchange.

Organising Secretary Dr. Sanjay Pattan Shetty expressed gratitude to all partners, noting that the event was designed for real impact beyond numbers. His fellow Dr. Deepak Nathiya delivered the vote of thanks, acknowledging the efforts of delegates, speakers, volunteers, and teams in ensuring the summit’s success. Recognised as a milestone in global health policy-making and international collaboration, the event—co-hosted by NIMS University—further solidified India’s readiness to take a leadership role on the world health stage. Prof. Tomar concluded by reiterating that the summit was only the beginning, calling for the translation of global health dialogue into measurable, actionable change. India’s hosting of the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2025 showcased its commitment to global healthcare progress and set the stage for lasting health reforms and international cooperation.

Editor's Note:

India’s hosting of the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2025 is a major milestone in global health leadership. By bringing together experts, leaders, and organisations from around the world, the event highlighted India’s strong commitment to solving health challenges through teamwork, innovation, and smart policies. With a focus on inclusive leadership, digital health, and access to care for all, the summit set a new standard for turning meaningful discussions into real results. As India takes on a bigger role in global health, this event showed the country’s ability to lead important international efforts.

According to Skoobuzz, the focus on fairness, accessibility, and working across sectors points to a long-term plan for better, more sustainable healthcare. The ideas and plans shared during this summit will help shape the future of global health progress.