World Liver Day 2026

The Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), New Delhi, observed World Liver Day 2026 on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in a high-level event that combined policy commitment, personal inspiration, and community action. The Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Sh. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, graced the occasion as Chief Guest, presiding alongside Sh. Rajeev Verma, Chief Secretary, GNCTD & Chairman, ILBS, and Sh. Rupesh Kumar Thakur, Secretary (Health & Family Welfare), GNCTD, as Guest of Honour and Mr Sangram Singh as the Celebrity Guest of Honour.

This year’s theme “Solid Habits, Strong Liver”, set the tone for an event that was as much about human stories as it was about policy and numbers.

This year ILBS held a CME programme for general Practitioners, Liver health checkup camp and a high-profile advocacy event with Union Minister for Home Affairs Sh. Amit Shah as the Chief Guest.

Key event during the event

  1. Sh. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Lt. Governor, Delhi, in his chief guest address, spoke about the staggering yet hopeful statistic at the heart of this year’s campaign: that up to 90% of liver disease is preventable. Launching the 15-Day Healthy Liver Social Media Campaign, he said: “Solid Habits, Strong Liver, four words that carry the potential to save millions of lives.
  2. He committed Delhi’s administration to strengthening liver health screening, called on ILBS to work toward patenting its liver-healthy food formulations from the Dawat-E-Jigar initiative for wider public benefit, and expressed his aspiration for Delhi to become the first city in the country to mount a mass public awareness campaign on liver health.

  3. A 100-sapling plantation drive by ILBS was also launched by the Hon’ble LG on the occasion, underscoring the institution’s belief that the health of the liver and the health of the environment are deeply connected,
  4. A Moment of Joy: Felicitation of Liver Transplant Children In one of the most moving moments of the morning, Lt. Governor Sh. Taranjit Singh Sandhu felicitated 12 children who have successfully undergone liver transplants at ILBS. The children, each a testament to the life-saving work done at the institution, were celebrated on stage, a powerful reminder of why World Liver Day exists: not just to raise awareness, but to save lives.

  5. Sh. Rajeev Verma, Chief Secretary, GNCTD & Chairman, ILBS, delivered an address that was notable not only for its administrative substance but for its personal candour. He shared how small, deliberate changes in his daily life, including switching to a healthier diet and building regular physical activity into his routine, had made a measurable difference to his own wellbeing. “These are not extraordinary interventions,” he said. “They are ordinary choices, made consistently. That is the whole point of this year’s theme.” His personal testimony gave weight and authenticity to the public health message in a way that data alone cannot. He described ILBS as “not merely a hospital, but an ecosystem” and congratulated the entire ILBS team, doctors, nurses, researchers, and administrative staff, for their sustained excellence.

  6. Sh. Rupesh Kumar Thakur, Secretary (Health & FW), GNCTD, He said that liver disease now affects an estimated 40– 50% of Delhi’s adult population in its early fatty liver form, and urged the medical community to make liver health counselling a routine part of every clinical encounter, rather than an afterthought. He outlined the department’s commitment to integrating liver screening into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and training frontline health workers and a set a target to screen 5–10% of Delhi’s population over the next twelve months. He emphasized that the four habits of this year’s campaign, a balanced diet, regular physical activity, reducing alcohol, and regular liver check-ups, are clinically supported, widely accessible, and effective.


  7. Celebrity Voice: Sangram Singh on the Journey from Illness to Strength. The event also featured an address by Mr. Sangram Singh, celebrated wrestler and fitness icon, whose presence brought the message of this year’s campaign to life in the most personal way possible. Sangram Singh spoke about his own journey, from being seriously ill to becoming one of India’s most recognised sporting figures. His story was not one of overnight transformation, but of patient, consistent effort: staying humble, working on oneself every day, and never losing faith in the body’s ability to recover. He gracefully accepted a request from Director ILBS to be an honorary Brand Ambassador for ILBS


  8. Dr. Shiv Kumar Sarin, Director & Chancellor, ILBS, in his welcome address, framed the day’s theme with characteristic clarity: solid habits today mean a stronger liver tomorrow. He reiterated ILBS’s dual commitment, to world-class clinical care and to taking liver health awareness to every corner of society. Dr Sarin emphasized that the liver day celebration should not be one day event and suggested that the 19th of every month will be observed by ILBS for awareness around Liver Health on a regular basis. The same was appreciated by the dignitaries and Delhi government agreed to the idea


  9. Y-Smiles: Taking Liver Health into Schools. The event also saw significant focus on the Y-Smiles project, ILBS’s initiative to sensitize and screen school communities, students, teachers, and principals alike,

    Two school principals, whose institutions have been actively engaged in the Y-Smiles programme, were felicitated by the Lt. Governor for their leadership in making liver health a part of school culture.

The Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), New Delhi, is India’s premier dedicated centre for the diagnosis, management, training, and research in liver and biliary diseases. A WHO Collaborating Centre for Chronic Liver Diseases and Hepatitis, ILBS is also a member of the WHO SEACanGrid, addressing liver cancer and supporting cancer registry and surveillance across the South East Asian region. As a “Liver University,” ILBS trains hepatologists across South Asia, conducts original research that shapes regional clinical guidelines, and runs extensive community outreach through screening camps, public awareness campaigns, and school and workplace health initiatives.