Patient First Awards Categories
The 6th Edition of the IHW Patient First Awards will recognise and celebrate individuals, organisations and initiatives that are driving meaningful change in healthcare by placing the patient at the centre of care. The Awards will honour impactful contributions across patient care, accessibility, innovation, safety, advocacy and patient experience, recognising those who are improving health outcomes, transforming the care journey and advancing a more empowered, equitable and patient-centred healthcare ecosystem in India.
- HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL SERVICES
- Patient-Centric Hospital of the Year — National / Regional
- Patient-Centric Hospital in
- Dental
- Oral Health
- ENT & Hearing Care
- Cardiac Surgery
- Oncology
- Cardiac Surgery
- Neurology
- Joint Replacement
- Gastroenterology
- Hepatology
- Liver Transplant
- Nephrology
- Kidney Transplant
- Critical Care (ICU)
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Women’s Health
- Dermatology
- Rehabilitation, Pain Management & Palliative Care
- GI & Bariatric
- Infectious Disease Management
- Multispecialty Services
- Excellence in End to End Medical Travel Facilitation & Assistance
- Excellence in International & Global Patient Experience
- Excellence in Medical Tourism Services
- DOCTORS
- Excellence in Specialty Care in
- Cancer Care (Oncology)
- Cardiology & Stroke Care
- Nephrology & Urology
- Gynaecology, Obstetrics & Paediatrics
- Hematology
- Pulmonology & Respiratory Care
- Diabetes & Endocrinology
- Ophthalmology
- Gastroenterology & Hepatology
- General & Internal Medicine
- Orthopaedics & Rheumatology
- Genetics & Rare Disease Specialists
- Psychiatry & Mental Health
- Dermatology & Cosmetology
- ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat)
- Neurology & Neurosurgery
- Dentistry & Oral Health
- General & Laparoscopic Surgery
- Pain Management & Anaesthesiology
- Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation
- Transplant Surgery
- Young Achiever – Emerging
Healthcare Leader (Under 40) - Leader in Community Health Engagement
- Lifetime Achievement Award
(Jury nomination only)
- PATIENT ADVOCATES & SUPPORT GROUPS
- Patient Advocacy Organisation
- Patient Advocate
- Excellence in Medical Fundraising & Patient Support
- Excellence in Patient Support Initiativey
- PHARMACEUTICAL
- Patient-Centric Pharmaceutical Company in
- Cancer Care
- Cardiovascular & Stroke Care
- Renal & Urological Care
- Women, Reproductive & Child Health
- Hematology
- Pulmonology
- Diabetes Care
- Ophthalmology
- Gastroenterology & Hepatology
- Manufacturing & Packaging
- Orthopedic & Rheumatic Diseases
- Rare & Genetic Diseases
- Mental Health Care
- Derma Care
- Drug Manufacturing
- Patient-Centric Pharmaceutical Company of the Year
- Excellence in Patient Care (Online Pharmacy)
- Innovation in Pharmaceutical Packaging Innovation & Patient Safety
- Excellence in Sustainable & Smart Packaging
- MEDTECH HEALTH
- Patient-Centric Med-tech Device Brands in Chronic and Metabolic Disease
- Patient-Centric Consumer Med-tech Brands
- Patient-Centric Med-tech Device Brands in Diabetes
- Patient-Centric Med-tech Device Brands in Oncology
- MedTech Startup of the Year
- Excellence in Medical Device Manufacturing
- Excellence in Al-Powered MedTech Innovation
- DIAGNOSTIC & PREVENTIVE HEALTH
- Patient-Centric Diagnostic Lab
- Patient-Centric Preventive Health Brand
- HEALTHCARE STARTUPS
- Patient-Centric Healthcare Start-ups
- Patient-Centric Digital Health & Al Based Startups
- Patient-Centric Home-Based Healthcare Start-ups
- Excellence in Al-Powered Healthcare Innovation
- Best HealthTech Product Innovation
- MARKETING AND AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
- Excellence in Patient Centric
- Pharma Marketing
- Hospital Marketing & Outreach
- Health Awareness Campaign
- Pharma Brand Awareness Campaign
- Marketing & Health Awareness Campaign
- Patient Centric Health Awareness Campaign of the Year
- Influencer Marketing (Driving impact through voices people trust.)
- Performance Marketing (Results-driven campaigns with measurable impact.)
- Best Integrated Health Campaign (social cause, impact, and change.)
- Healthcare Brand Campaign of the Year
- Best Disease Awareness & Patient Education Campaign
- Best Digital Health Marketing Campaign
- Best Integrated Healthcare Marketing Campaign
- Best Healthcare CSR & Community Impact Campaign
- Best AI & Innovation in Healthcare Marketing
- Best Social Media & Content Marketing Campaign
- Healthcare Marketing Team of the Year
- IHW Patient First Awards 2026 platform would cater to various categories for companies, organisations and individuals to nominate their initiatives, projects, products and ideas for the acknowledgement and rewards.
- Select the most relevant award category for your organization or individual achievement.
- Fill in the required details accurately and completely.
- Submit relevant documents to strengthen your nomination.
- Review all information and submit through the official nomination portal.
- The eminent Jury of the Awards would evaluate the entries.
- Winners will be announced at the Patient First Summit & Awards 2026.
- Deadline for the submission of entries is 5 Oct 2026
On the due participation in the IHW Patient First Awards, the participants understand and agree to the followings:
- All the awards/ prizes honoured/ distributed by the IHW Council has been arrived on the sole and unbiased conclusions made by the Independent Jury and IHW Patient First Awards team through a fair evaluation process and such acts of the IHW Council shall not in any way amount to any discrimination to any person/parties there on.
- The participant elects to voluntarily participate in the event with full knowledge and thereby declare that all information, facts and materials provided by them is as per the given eligibility for the purposes of their participation are true and best to their knowledge irrespective of any country or region
- The IHW Council shall not be liable for any loss, theft or damage, action, claim, cost or expenses, or any injury to any party/ person which may arise as a consequence of their participation in this event.
- The IHW Council reserves its rights to post/ publish any images/ photographs taken at the Awards function and such images / pictures shall become the sole property of the IHW Council.
- The IHW Council shall not be held responsible directly or indirectly for injuries and damages that may arise out of or in connection with any wrongful information, misrepresentation or corroborated facts disclosed by the Participants.
- The IHW Council will not bear/reimburse any cost of nominee company/organization, individual or group of people participating at the award distribution ceremony (in case event is held on ground)
- By participating in the IHW Patient First Awards, participants and entries agree to be bound by the Rules and Regulations and the decisions of the IHW Council Awards organising committee, as final.
- All decisions of the Awards Jury with respect to any aspect of the IHW Patient First Awards, including and not limited to, eligibility of entries and any discrepancies or inconsistencies, are final and binding on all entrants in all matters as they relate to these Awards.
- All entries and documents submitted to participate are not returnable and the organising committee retains the right to the information.
- The entry fee for participation is non-refundable.
- All intellectual property, including but not limited to trade- marks, trade-names, logos, designs, promotional materials, web pages, source codes, drawing, illustrations, slogans and representations are owned by the IHW Media Pvt. Ltd., the owner of the IHW Patient First Awards and event. Unauthorised copying or use of any copyrighted material or intellectual property without the express written consent is strictly prohibited.
- Any organisation/institute participating in the Awards should be an Indian entity with a registered presence in India and must provide their Certificate of Incorporation mandatorily.
- The initiative should have been completely executed in India
- There are no minimum years of operations applicable for organisations participating, however the Certificate of Incorporation is a mandatory document to be submitted
- The initiative/ project should have been launched in the period April 01, 2025 to July 31, 2026 with impact demonstrated and results showcased by initiative/ project.
- The initiative must be undertaken by going beyond the mandatory accreditations/regulatory requirements as applicable
- For Start-ups, the organisation must have been incorporated for up to 6 years as on March 31, 2026.
- The initiative nominated/ applied must be developed within the participating Organisation. An Organisation cannot participate on behalf of its sister units; parent organisation or other organisations under the parent organisation.
- The final eligibility of the Participant will be subject to the discretion and approval of the IHW Council and Jury
- The Award categories may be changed/modified/split/merged/increased or cancelled by the ihw Council and/or Jury based on the number of entries received in any category, and the quality of the entries. The decision in this regard will be final, non- contestable, and binding on all participants. The IHW Council will not entertain any queries in this regard
NOTE – The Jury holds the right to disqualify any application which does not meet the eligibility criteria without assigning any reason whatsoever
