49th IHF World Hospital Congress 2026: Global Learning, Local Action for Every Patient
The International Hospital Federation (IHF), together with the Korean Hospital Association (KHA), will hold the 49th IHF World Hospital Congress from 20 to 22 October 2026 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Pre-Congress activities, including workshops, hospital visits, governance meetings and the Welcome Reception, will take place on 19 October.
Under the call to action “Global learning, local action for every patient”, the Congress will bring together hospital and health system leaders from around the world to exchange knowledge, explore innovation and discuss how global experience can be translated into practical improvements for patients, professionals and healthcare organisations.
The 2026 edition is expected to welcome around 1,700 participants from more than 80 countries, making it one of the major international meeting points for hospital executives, healthcare managers and health system leaders.
Key information
Dates: 20–22 October 2026
Pre-Congress activities: 19 October 2026
Venue: COEX Magok Convention Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Organisers: International Hospital Federation (IHF) and Korean Hospital Association (KHA)
Theme: Global learning, local action for every patient
Expected participation: Around 1,700 delegates from 80+ countries
Congress themes
The scientific programme will explore five major areas of relevance to hospital and healthcare leaders:
- Human-centred experience in a fast-changing world
- Leadership imperatives for long-term success
- Environmentally sustainable, resilient and low-carbon healthcare
- Digital transformation and the impact of Artificial Intelligence on care and operations
- Advancing clinical models for quality, safety and sustainability
The programme combines global perspectives with practical experience from hospitals and health systems, creating opportunities for professional exchange, networking and international learning.
Why this matters for European hospital managers
Hospital and healthcare leaders across Europe are facing many of the same pressures addressed by the World Hospital Congress: workforce shortages, financial sustainability, digital transformation, Artificial Intelligence, organisational resilience, quality, patient experience and the transition towards more sustainable models of care.
Engagement with international peers allows European managers to compare approaches, identify transferable practices and bring global experience back into national and organisational settings.
The World Hospital Congress therefore provides an important opportunity to connect European hospital management with a wider international community and to contribute European experience to global discussions on the future of healthcare delivery.
EAHM and the International Hospital Federation
EAHM will be represented at the 49th IHF World Hospital Congress in Seoul, continuing the dialogue and professional exchange between the two organisations.
This participation follows the presence of the International Hospital Federation at the 29th EAHM Congress in Vilnius and reflects EAHM’s intention to strengthen its international connections and create further opportunities for its members to engage with hospital management communities beyond Europe.
For EAHM, international cooperation is an important complement to its European mission: connecting hospital managers, exchanging knowledge, sharing leadership experience and identifying solutions that can be transferred across health systems.
The Congress in Seoul will provide another opportunity to reinforce this relationship, connect EAHM with international leaders and explore areas of future cooperation that can bring value to the European hospital management community.