Discover Our Plans for World IBD Day 2026!
IBD Has No Borders: Access to IBD Care
Last year, we focused on breaking the silence around IBD, challenging taboos and encouraging open conversations about the realities of living with the disease. This year, we turn our attention to another critical barrier faced by people living with IBD: access to care.
Around the world, where a person lives still determines whether they receive a timely diagnosis, specialist support, and effective treatment. Too many people face long delays, limited treatment options, or no access to care at all.
Living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease is challenging enough. Inequities in healthcare systems only add to the physical, emotional, and social burden faced by people with IBD and their families.
Quality IBD care should not depend on geography.
It should be accessible, timely, and equitable for everyone.
This year, we are working together, patients, advocates, healthcare professionals, and policymakers, to highlight these disparities and push for change. Because access to IBD care is not a privilege. It is a right.
Why Access Matters: The Case for Equitable IBD Care
For many people living with IBD, barriers to care remain a daily reality. Around the world, access to timely diagnosis, specialist support, and appropriate treatment is still uneven—and too often out of reach.
People with IBD continue to face:
Delayed or missed diagnosis, leading to prolonged suffering and disease progression
Limited access to specialists or modern therapies, particularly in underserved regions
High out-of-pocket costs and gaps in health systems, creating financial and practical barriers
Lack of continuity of care and psychosocial support, leaving patients feeling unsupported and isolated
When access to care is delayed or disrupted, outcomes worsen. Disease complications increase, quality of life declines, and the burden on patients and families grows.
Access to IBD care is not optional—it is essential.
And where someone lives should never determine the care they receive.
What We're Doing
For World IBD Day 2026, IFCCA is bringing patient leaders together in Singapore for our flagship event:
International World IBD Day Roundtable & Asia-Pacific Networking Event
📅 16 May 2026
📍 York Hotel, Singapore
Organised with the Crohn’s & Colitis Society of Singapore
Across the Asia-Pacific region, awareness of IBD is growing—but access to diagnosis, specialist care, and modern treatments remains unequal. Standards of care vary widely, reflecting differences in healthcare infrastructure, available resources, and policy priorities.
An expert concensus from the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) shows that system barriers—like limited diagnostics, specialist availability, and access to advanced therapies—can delay timely, high-quality care. A regional survey of clinicians in Asia confirm wide variation in diagnosis and treatment, highlighting the urgent need for shared standards and stronger collaboration.
By meeting in Singapore, we aim to bring these diverse experiences together — not to compare systems, but to learn from one another and work towards more consistent, equitable access to IBD care for everyone.
The Day Will Include
Morning – Asia-Pacific Networking Forum
Patient organisations will share challenges
Identify common gaps
Set practical advocacy priorities
Afternoon – World IBD International Roundtable - IBD Has No Borders: Access to IBD Care
Global discussion on barriers to care and solutions
Explore the role of patient organisations in driving change
The event will also kick off a patient-led process toward a Global IBD Patient Charter, defining what high-quality, equitable care should look like worldwide.
Our 2026 Goals
We aim to:
Identify gaps in IBD care
Share practical solutions and advocacy actions
Strengthen regional and global collaboration
Amplify the patient voice in health policy
Join the Movement
World IBD Day is powered by communities everywhere.
We invite you to:
Organise local initiatives
Share stories
Connect with decision-makers to drive change
Raise awareness in your region
Because IBD has no borders — and access to care shouldn’t either.
For collaborations or questions, contact: bella.haaf@ifcca-ibd.org
Download our Campaign Toolkit!
Help us spread the word, raise awareness and encourage conversations around this important topic.
Download our official Campaign Toolkit for ready-to-use content, key messages, and visuals to support World IBD Day 2026.
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World IBD Day 2026 Roundtable
International World IBD Day Roundtable & Regional Networking Event
16 May 2026 | York Hotel | Singapore
As the centrepiece of this year’s campaign, International Federation of Crohn's & Ulcerative Colitis Associations will convene patient leaders, advocates, and partners from around the world in partnership with Crohn’s & Colitis Society of Singapore.
The Singapore meeting will connect Asia-Pacific patient organisations with the global IBD community to exchange experiences, identify gaps in care, and shape practical solutions to improve access to IBD care.
The programme includes:
Regional networking and peer exchange
Patient-led discussions on barriers to diagnosis and treatment
Shared advocacy priorities and next steps
Launch of the Global IBD Patient Charter process
This roundtable builds on our previous global meetings in Mexico City and Brussels and marks an important step towards stronger international collaboration and more equitable care worldwide.
Selected sessions and key outcomes will be shared publicly after the event.
Purple Ribbon Awareness
Many of the IBD associations linked to World IBD Day are using the purple ribbon as a symbol of awareness and support for those living with IBD. If you would like to receive ribbons for your awareness raising campaign please contact the IFCCA office at info@efcca.org
