Rio de Janeiro will host the 47th World Hospital Congress in 2024

The International Hospital Federation (IHF) has announced that the 47th World Hospital Congress will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in September 2024.

In a successful bid to host the 47th World Hospital Congress, thev IHF’s distinguished member, the Brazilian Hospital Federation (FBH), will join the organizing committee to host the 2024 edition of this global event. This is the second time that Rio is hosting the World Hospital Congress, which was last held in Brazil in 2009. 

In congratulating the successful bid city, Ronald Lavater, CEO of the IHF said:

“The World Hospital Congress is the premier event in the International Hospital Federation’s calendar, and we are thrilled to be hosted by Rio de Janeiro in 2024. From a range of excellent proposals, we are delighted that, 15 years after the last Brazilian edition, the 47th Congress will return to Rio in 2024. 

International collaboration is the core foundation of the IHF and our Congress. We are looking forward to working with our full IHF member, FBH, to deliver this exciting event. We are especially pleased to have an opportunity to link-up leaders of hospital and healthcare delivery organizations from across the Americas region with their international peers when we gather next year.” 

The IHF organizes the World Hospital Congress to bring together hospital leaders and healthcare delivery executives to connect around global learning for local action. This annual congress is a forum to exchange best practices in leadership and management of healthcare delivery. Annually, the World Hospital Congress attracts over 1200 participants from around 60 countries.

The President of FBH, Dr Adelvânio Francisco Morato, shared the FBH’s commitment to excellence in hospital leadership and their enthusiasm for hosting the 47th World Hospital Congress:

“The Brazilian Hospital Federation (FBH) is a pioneering entity, which for more than five decades has acted to effectively contribute to the development of the Brazilian hospital sector and to the improvement of the assistance provided to the population. We represent more than 4,000 hospitals in the private network throughout Brazil, with widely recognized experience in health, both in the public and private networks. With the opportunity to host the IHF World Hospital Congress, we are sure that we will start a new era of transformations and evolutions for our sector. We can’t wait to welcome you.”

The World Hospital Congress is presented under the banner of “Global learning, local action.” An announcement about the 47th edition’s topical tracks and abstract submissions will be made following the close of the 46th World Hospital Congress, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 25 to 27 October 2023.

The programme for the 47th edition will include a stimulating array of plenary and parallel sessions, pre-congress masterclasses, invitational forums, workshops, networking and social opportunities, local hospital visits, and poster presentations. Participants can also look forward to booking a seat at the IHF Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner. This is an annual highlight of the event – a celebration to recognize outstanding hospital projects, programmes, and services on a global stage.

Sustainability will be integral to the organization and delivery of the 47th World Hospital Congress. The IHF established the Geneva Sustainability Centre in 2022 to support hospitals and healthcare executives leading the transformation to low carbon, resilient, and sustainable healthcare. The Geneva Sustainability Centre’s mission is also to embed good practice into all IHF activities, including the Congress. 

Innovation will also be a key focus at the 47th edition, with the return of the IHF’s i-to-i Innovation Hub – from innovation to implementation – following its debut in 2023. The Hub will showcase cutting-edge innovations from across the globe to demonstrate their impact in transforming hospital and healthcare-delivery settings. The Hub will have a bespoke space at the Congress venue, promoting collaboration, and enabling participants to engage directly with the featured innovators. A series of ignite talks from the innovators will be built into the Congress programme.