NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Wednesday said changes in lifestyle, dietary patterns, obesity and metabolic disorders are adding to the growing burden of gastroenterological diseases in the country.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the World Congress of Gastroenterology 2026 (WCOG 2026), being held for the first time in India, he said gastroenterology has emerged as an increasingly important area of healthcare, covering a wide spectrum of diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract, liver, pancreas and biliary system.
“The disease profile is also changing rapidly. Alongside gastrointestinal infections and viral hepatitis, we are witnessing a growing burden of fatty liver disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, pancreatitis and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract."
He said changes in lifestyle and dietary patterns are adding new dimensions to this challenge.
“At the same time, gastroenterology has witnessed remarkable advances in diagnosis and treatment. Modern endoscopy has evolved from being primarily a diagnostic tool to enabling a wide range of therapeutic and minimally invasive interventions,” he said.
Nadda said advances in imaging, molecular diagnostics and the interventional endoscopy, together with new and targeted convalescent therapies, are opening new possibilities for early diagnosis and better treatment outcomes.
The health minister said, however, technology and treatment alone cannot address the growing burden of digestive diseases. “We need an equally strong focus on prevention, healthy nutrition and lifestyles, and early detection and treatment outcomes,” he said.
Nadda also highlighted the government’s efforts to promote healthy dietary practices and active lifestyles.
He referred to initiatives such as the Eat Right India campaign of FSSAI and Poshan Maah, which seek to create greater awareness about healthy eating habits and physical activity.
The union minister also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to citizens to reduce oil consumption as part of efforts to address obesity and promote healthier lifestyles.
Nadda said the National Health Policy of 2017 has brought a transformational shift from the erstwhile curative model to a comprehensive, holistic and inclusive strategy encompassing the preventive, promotive, curative, palliative, rehabilitative as well as geriatric dimensions of health care.
“Under the new policy, the government is strengthening the health systems at all levels of care with an emphasis on achieving an optimal balance between the primary and the secondary and tertiary care,” he said.
Nadda said that while primary health care has been consolidated with strong linkages between primary and secondary care, significant effort has been made towards tertiary care to provide high-quality services.
“The new health policy has focused on making health care cost-effective and emphasising preventive and promotive health care through a network of 186,000 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, which are the first point of contact for 1.4 billion people,” Nadda added.
With the theme “Transforming Gastrointestinal Health, Preserving Nature,” WCOG 2026 is jointly hosted by the Indian Society of Gastroenterology (ISG) and the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO), in collaboration with the Indian National Association for Study of the Liver (INASL), Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation India (CCFI), Indian Pancreas Club (IPC) and Indian Neurogastroenterology and Motility Association (INMA).
The Congress focuses on advances in gastrointestinal health through cutting-edge science, clinical practice, research, innovation and multidisciplinary exchange.
As many as 3,000 delegates from 61 countries are participating in the four-day Congress, bringing together clinicians and researchers to address the growing and changing burden of gastrointestinal and liver diseases.
The inaugural day witnessed the launch of the “10 Commandments for GI Health,” a set of evidence-based recommendations developed by Indian and international gastroenterology experts.
The recommendations address prevention, recognition of risk factors and symptoms, and timely medical evaluation.
Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the government of India, said: “Advances in artificial intelligence, diagnostics, biomedical research and data sciences are creating new possibilities for healthcare. The priority now is to translate these advances into clinically validated solutions that can be applied at population scale. Collaboration between clinicians, researchers and technology communities will be important to achieving this.”
Dr Pramod Kumar Garg, Co-Chair, Steering Committee, WCOG 2026 and President, Indian Society of Gastroenterology, and Dr Govind Makharia, Chairman, Local Organising Committee, WCOG 2026, observed that gastrointestinal health is a global concern, spanning infections, metabolic and inflammatory diseases, cancers and chronic digestive conditions.
They said that India brings a large and diverse patient population, significant clinical experience and a growing body of research to this global conversation.
"WCOG 2026 provides an opportunity to share this experience while learning from advances across different healthcare systems, with a common focus on prevention, earlier diagnosis and better outcomes for patients," they added.