International Patients’ Union concludes 3rd Global Conference in New Delhi with key health policy launches

The International Patients’ Union (IPU) concluded its 3rd International Conference on April 7, 2025, at the India International Centre in New Delhi, marking a key event in advancing patient-led healthcare dialogue. Held on World Health Day, the conference was themed “Serving the Patients in the Digital Age” and brought together patients, policymakers, doctors, regulators, and international health experts. The Indian Nursing Council supported the event by offering five CNE credit hours for nurses who attended.

Founded by Dr Rajendra Pratap Gupta, former advisor to the Union Health Minister, Government of India, IPU remains the only structured platform for patients in India. Since its conceptualisation in 2014, IPU has worked to bridge the gap between patients and the healthcare ecosystem by facilitating their participation in shaping policy and practice. The 2025 conference reaffirmed this focus by opening the floor to patients and caregivers who shared their lived experiences across conditions such as Huntington’s disease, autism, Rh isoimmunisation, diabetes, hypertension, paranoid schizophrenia, and tuberculosis.

“The patient should not just be part of the discourse; they should be creating the discourse. Policies are meant for patients, and they should be the ones talking about themselves,” said Dr. Rajendra Pratap Gupta during the opening session.

Dr. Vinod Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, Government of India, delivered the keynote address and emphasised the evolving priorities of the Indian health system. “Reaching a stage of a high-quality, patient-centric, and caring health system — one that ensures access without imposing exponential stress on public expenditure, and that encompasses prevention, health promotion, treatment, and rehabilitation — is a journey. It is a long journey, and it is one that we are currently traversing.”

Throughout the day, the conference hosted a series of discussions centred around real-world patient experiences and systemic reforms. One of the sessions, “Long COVID: Has COVID Become a Chronic Condition?”, featured practitioners who called for greater awareness and action. “We should sensitise both the public and doctors about Long COVID so that we can start taking action. A common forum like the International Patients’ Union would be very helpful in this regard,” said Dr. Amitaabh Varma, MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Neurology), AIIMS, New Delhi. Prof Rajinder K. Dhamija, Director, IHBAS, New Delhi, added, “We need to make our population brain-healthy and brain-skillful, which will enhance our brain capital and, in turn, increase our brain economy.”

Dr. K. Madan Gopal, Advisor, Public Health Administration, NHSRC – MoHFW, Govt. of India, also weighed in. “We take pride in saying we have the biggest demographic dividend. But the crisis we are facing (Long COVID)—if we fail to address it—could wipe out that very dividend due to its impact on productivity.”

The panel “Digital Quackery: Science vs. Social Media & Influencers” explored the growing challenges posed by misinformation in the digital health space. “The ‘bypass the bypass’ trend is a misleading narrative pushed by influencers—not backed by real health evidence. While influencers may sell it as a shortcut, ‘bypass the bypass’ is actually a shortcut to misinformation,” said Dr. K.K. Talwar, Former Chairman, Medical Council of India. “Quackery—whether physical or digital—must be condemned. If we’re unable to contain quackery in the physical world, how will we contain it in the digital space? That’s a very important question,” added Dr. Vijay Agarwal, President, Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organisations (CAHO). Dr. Raman Kumar, Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Academy of Family Physicians of India, observed, “The Indian health system has three pillars, and these are organised—not by default. One is quackery, the second is super-speciality, and the third is an augmented public health system. All three domains benefit from and support each other.”

The discussion “Frontal Role of Nurses, Community Pharmacists & AHPs in Lowering the Disease Burden” examined the future of frontline care in India’s health delivery model. “We cannot talk about strengthening healthcare delivery without recognising nurses. The government has started the work, but unless the private sector values them too, retention will remain a challenge,” said Dr. T. Dileep Kumar, President, Indian Nursing Council. Prof. (Dr.) Uma Kumar, Head, Department of Rheumatology, AIIMS, New Delhi, commented, “We can’t just depend on doctors; we must bring professionals like nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and pharmacists into the mainstream. Doctors are mostly concentrated in big cities—you won’t find many in villages or small towns. So, what becomes the first line of contact there—whether digital or physical—is critical.”

The final session of the day, “Technology for Patients vs Patients for Technology”, explored how digital health infrastructure can be designed for and by patients. “There’s a lot of vocabulary in Indian languages that hasn’t gone digital yet — we’re working to change that by creating it from scratch,” said Amitabh Nag, CEO, Digital India Bhashini Division (BHASHINI), MeitY, Government of India. “The more data we generate and collect about ourselves, the more we can build robust repositories that help create better systems. Eventually, with advanced computation, we’ll be able to hyper-personalise medicine and truly do justice to each patient,” added Zaw Ali Khan, Founder & CEO, Criterion Tech. “Healthcare needs the same kind of digital revolution that UPI brought to payments—interoperable, trusted, and citizen-first,” said Himanshu Burad, OSD at National Health Authority, ABDM. Dr. Neena Pahuja, Executive Member, National Council for Vocational Education and Training, MSDE, Government of India, stressed, “What we all need to realise is that as India evolves, we must collect clean patient data with accurate diagnoses from hospitals. This will help us make better clinical decisions in the future and develop new medicines. All of this is possible only if we leverage the best of AI.”

The valedictory address was delivered by Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Drugs Controller General of India, CDSCO. He noted the regulator’s efforts to centre patient welfare and to improve medicine quality across the board. The conference concluded with a vote of thanks by Mevish P. Vaishnav, President of the International Patients’ Union.

The event also saw the launch of three initiatives. The report, One Health in India 2024: Overview and Recommendations, developed by Health Parliament in partnership with Brooke India, outlines strategies for integrating human, animal, and environmental health efforts in India. It was released by Dr. Vinod Paul in the presence of Dr. Rajendra Pratap Gupta and Brig. Jyothikumar S Dharamadheeran, CEO, Brooke India. The IPU Fellowship Program, created in partnership with the Centre for Health, Innovation, Policy & Digital Health at IIM Raipur, was also introduced. The programme will involve direct work with patients, culminating in policy recommendations submitted to NITI Aayog. Additionally, India’s first all-women pharmacies were launched in collaboration with a pharmacy chain in Agra, aimed at creating accessible and safe healthcare spaces for women. The launch was led by Mevish P. Vaishnav with Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi in attendance.

The 2025 conference builds on the previous editions of IPU’s global platform, continuing efforts to centre patient voices, integrate digital solutions, and inform policy through lived healthcare experiences.