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The International Patients’ Union (IPU) successfully concluded its 3rd International Patients’ Union Conference recently, at the India International Centre, New Delhi, reaffirming its commitment to championing a patient-driven and digitally empowered healthcare system.
Held under the theme "Serving the Patients in the Digital Age", the conference brought together patients, policymakers, doctors, regulators, and global health experts for a day-long dialogue on building a system that listens to, learns from, and is led by patients.
The conference received continued support from the Indian Nursing Council (INC), which accorded five CNE credit hours for nurses attending the event.
The International Patients’ Union, conceptualized in 2014 and founded by Dr. Rajendra Pratap Gupta, former advisor to the Union health minister, Government of India, has emerged as the only organized platform for patients in India. Through its pioneering initiatives, IPU empowers patients by giving them access to a network of healthcare providers, policymakers, and resources, enabling their active participation in shaping the future of healthcare.
The day began with patients taking centre stage, sharing their stories and insights in front of an esteemed gathering of dignitaries. Conditions such as Huntington's disease, autism, Rh isoimmunization, diabetes, hypertension, paranoid schizophrenia, and tuberculosis were discussed. Patients and caregivers also shared their experiences with the healthcare system and offered valuable inputs for improvement.
"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, founder, IPU.
Dr. Vinod Paul, member, NITI Aayog, Government of India, was the chief guest and delivered his keynote address reflecting on the evolving healthcare landscape in India and emphasized the importance of a patient-centric approach.
"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," said Dr. Paul.
Various topics as sessions were covered during the one-day conference – starting from the Patients’ Session – who are the most powerful voices in healthcare sharing some of the most inspiring stories and showing us the way forward.
Among the many compelling sessions, “Long Covid: Has Covid Become a Chronic Condition?” sparked a vital discussion on patient perspectives and government action.
“We should sensitize 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; Corresponding Fellow, American Academy of Neurology.
“We need to make our population brain-healthy and brain-skillful, which will enhance our brain capital and, in turn, increase our brain economy,” said Prof. Rajinder K. Dhamija, director, IHBAS, New Delhi
“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,” said Dr. K. Madan Gopal, advisor, Public Health Administration, National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC), Union Ministry of Health.
The session on “Digital Quackery: Science vs. Social Media & Influencers” featured prominent voices including:
“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; former director, PGIMER.
“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,” said Dr. Vijay Agarwal, president, Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organisations (CAHO).
“The Indian health system has three pillars, and these are organized—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,” said Dr. Raman Kumar, founder & chairman Emeritus, Academy of Family Physicians of India
Another powerful discussion, “Frontal Role of Nurses, Community Pharmacists & AHPs in Lowering the Disease Burden,” focused on elevating frontline healthcare workers.
“We cannot talk about strengthening healthcare delivery without recognizing 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.
“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,” said Prof. (Dr.) Uma Kumar, head, Department of Rheumatology, AIIMS, New Delhi
The last session of the day long dialogue was - Technology for Patients vs Patients for Technology.
"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," according to Amitabh Nag, CEO, Digital India Bhashini Division (BHASHINI), Digital India Corporation, MeitY, Government of India; director (additional charge), India Dataset Platform (AIkosh) & Application Development Initiative, IndiaAI (An initiative of MeitY), Govt. 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-personalize medicine and truly do justice to each patient,” said Zaw Ali Khan, Founder & CEO, Criterion Tech Pvt Ltd
"Healthcare needs the same kind of digital revolution that UPI brought to payments—interoperable, trusted, and citizen-first," said Himanshu Burad, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) at National Health Authority (NHA), ABDM, Government of India
"What we all need to realize 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," said Dr. Neena Pahuja, executive member, National Council for Vocational Education and Training, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India
The valedictory address was delivered by the Guest of Honour, Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Drugs Controller General of India, CDSCO, Government of India. In his address, he highlighted how CDSCO is placing patient welfare at the core of its efforts while advancing the regulatory landscape. He also emphasized that the quality of medicines remains a significant concern in India and shared how CDSCO is actively working to improve and strengthen it.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Mevish P. Vaishnav, president of the IPU, who concluded the conference with gratitude to all speakers, partners, and attendees for their contributions to a meaningful and impactful dialogue.
Developed by Health Parliament, a global healthcare think tank, in collaboration with Brooke India, the report provides a comprehensive overview of India’s One Health landscape and strategic recommendations for integrated human-animal-environment health solutions. This was launched by Dr. Vinod Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, Government of India in presence of Dr. Rajendra Pratap Gupta, Founder, IPU and Brig. Jyothikumar S Dharamadheeran, CEO, Brooke India.
Launched in partnership with the Centre for Health, Innovation, Policy & Digital Health at IIM Raipur, this first-of-its-kind fellowship engages healthcare professionals and patient advocates to co-create policy through lived patient experiences. Fellows will work directly with patients, and their insights will be compiled into actionable policy recommendations submitted to NITI Aayog, Government of India. This initiative was also launched by Dr. Vinod Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, Government of India in presence of Dr. Rajendra Pratap Gupta, Founder, International Patients’ Union and Amitabh Nag, CEO, Digital India Bhashini Division (BHASHINI), Digital India Corporation, MeitY, Government of India; Director (Addl Charge), India Dataset Platform (AIkosh) & Application Development Initiative, IndiaAI (An initiative of MeitY), Government of India.
In collaboration with a leading pharmacy chain in Agra, the International Patients’ Union (IPU) launched a pioneering initiative to establish safe, private, and empowering healthcare access points exclusively for women. Staffed entirely by women and dedicated to addressing women’s health needs, these pharmacies are envisioned as trusted community spaces for care, dialogue, and support. The initiative was officially launched by the president of the IPU, Mevish P. Vaishnav, in the presence of Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Drugs Controller General of India, CDSCO, Government of India.
The 2025 edition of the IPU Conference built upon the momentum of its inaugural 2023 conference, which featured luminaries like Dr. Pem Namgyal (WHO-SEARO) and K.J. Alphons, IAS (Retd.), among others. This year’s event further elevated the discourse on leveraging digital tools for better patient outcomes, enhancing transparency, and ensuring shared decision-making in medical practice.
Heralded as The Change Initiative, the IPU is India’s first organized platform solely dedicated to empowering patients and driving healthcare reforms through patient participation. Through tech-enabled platforms and strategic collaborations, the IPU is redefining the role of the patient—from a passive recipient to an active architect of the healthcare system.
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