The Public Health Department (PHD) is very proud to collaborate with the Department of Community Medicine, Seth G.S. Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai, for the 27th Annual State Conference of IAPSM (MH) and IPHA (MH). The theme of the conference, “Universal Health Care: Bridging Gaps in Urban & Rural Health”, is highly relevant from a public health perspective.

As the Executive Health Officer of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), I have witnessed several challenges while implementing national programmes and addressing gaps in primary health care, including improving accessibility and availability of services, strengthening the healthcare workforce, and enhancing health outcomes.

The Public Health Department has continuously strived to bridge these gaps through innovation and the adoption of new strategies such as private sector engagement, CSR involvement, evolving models of care, interconnected components for continuum of care, and the promotion of technology-driven patient care services.

Urban public health today stands at a critical intersection of rapid urbanization, evolving communicable disease patterns, and rising expectations for equitable and quality care. Additionally, the ever-increasing burden of non-communicable diseases due to unhealthy lifestyle choices, environmental health risks, migration, and socioeconomic disparities continues to impact health outcomes.

Platforms such as MHIAPSMIPHACON 2026 play a vital role in strengthening public health systems by fostering dialogue between academia, administrators, and field practitioners. Such interactions help translate research and policy into actionable, scalable, and community-responsive interventions.

I look forward to the MHIAPSMIPHACON 2026 conference as an opportunity to explore innovative, robust, and feasible evidence-based strategies to address health disparities across different strata of the community.

I am confident that this conference will stimulate innovative thinking, encourage collaborative approaches, and inspire young professionals to contribute meaningfully to public health practice.