The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), an initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, took place from 13–14 November 2024 in Doha, Qatar. WISH is a global healthcare community dedicated to capturing and disseminating the best evidence-based ideas and practices.
In December 2023, following discussions between Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation and WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus, WISH and WHO established a strategic partnership, formalising a longstanding relationship between the two organizations, building on a track record of impact and reflecting joint resolve to focus attention on solving pressing global health challenges.
Over two days, more than 2,000 health policy makers, innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and practitioners will convene at the Qatar National Convention Centre to look for innovative solutions to some of the world’s biggest health challenges. The theme of this year’s summit is ‘Humanizing Health: Conflict, Equity and Resilience’ and will highlight the need for progress in health to support everyone, leaving nobody behind and building resilience, especially among vulnerable societies and in areas of armed conflict.
WISH and WHO are collaborating to create a series of evidence-based reports and policy papers that will be released at WISH. The reports aim to provide policy recommendations for innovative, practical solutions to strengthen people-centred health systems that can provide equitable, accessible and quality health for all individuals, families and their communities. The WHO-led reports, featured within plenary sessions, focus on elimination of tuberculosis, the growing importance of palliative care, and protecting health in armed conflict.
Reflecting the importance of translating research into practical solutions, additional sessions will be structured around WHO-led policy papers on community engagement and indigenous health, women’s cancers in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and women in the health and care workforce in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Within the overall theme, November’s global gathering featured four ‘tracks’, categorizing sessions into sub-themes:
- Health and armed conflict, covering pain management, disability, hunger and mental health
- Health of vulnerable and minority populations, considering TB in refugees and migrants and palliative care
- System level innovation and change, such as antimicrobial resistance and the ethics of AI in health
- Community-led engagement and interventions, including obesity and women’s cancers in the region
The biennial meeting will feature more than 200 experts in health speaking about evidence-based ideas and practices in healthcare innovation to address the world’s most urgent global health challenges.