Health Minister unveils 10 Commandments for Gastrointestinal Health

Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Jagat Prakash Nadda, inaugurated the World Congress of Gastroenterology (WCOG) 2026 at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, marking the first time the global gastroenterology congress is being held in India.

Around 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 “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. The experts called for these messages to reach people across nations and communities to strengthen awareness of gastrointestinal health and encourage timely care.

Jagat Prakash Nadda said: “Gastrointestinal health is closely linked to nutrition, metabolic health, infection and cancer, making it an important part of the broader public health agenda. India has built significant capabilities across healthcare, medical education and research. Hosting WCOG 2026 provides an opportunity to share this experience with the global gastroenterology community and strengthen international collaboration in research, clinical practice and healthcare delivery.”

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.”

Artificial intelligence (AI) is opening new possibilities in endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), pancreatic disease, irritable bowel disease (IBD) and gastrointestinal motility, while raising important questions around clinical validation, safety and regulation.

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, said: “Gastrointestinal health is a global concern, spanning infections, metabolic and inflammatory diseases, cancers and chronic digestive conditions. 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.”