October 13, 2025 — Healthcare facilities managers (FMs) grapple each day to address issues that shape patient experience and safety. Kevin Poggenpoel, president of The International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE), points out that many of these challenges impact FMs across the world. Through participation in global discussions, FMs gain a unique perspective into how their peers around the world are creating safer, more resilient environments – and an opportunity to impact the health and safety of patients worldwide.
From October 17-20, 2026, IFHE will provide such an opportunity for U.S. facilities and PDC managers to connect with their peers from around the world. The Association of Medical Facility Professionals (AMFP), the U.S. representative to IFHE, in partnership with EmeraldX, is hosting the 2026 World Congress in New Orleans. The event will be co-located with the Healthcare Design (HCD) Conference + Expo, providing access to a powerful combination of healthcare design, engineering, and facilities management expertise.
Poggenpoel was the general manager of technical operations for the South African division of Mediclinic, and a long-time member of the South African Federation of Healthcare Engineers (SAFHE). Through his current role at IFHE, he is leading the charge to better equip FMs around the world to navigate issues that impact the physical environment.
“Participating in these conferences has provided me with opportunities to learn and grow in my role as an engineering manager in hospital operations,” he says. Having attended nine World Congresses, Poggenpoel has found these events to “have opened opportunities to equip my team to prepare themselves for what is happening worldwide in healthcare. It has also helped me to benchmark South African healthcare against what is happening internationally in terms of managing our operations and maintenance programs.”
This year, IFHE is working to provide its members with greater access to information through webinars for those individuals unable to travel. However, he points out that there’s nothing quite like having the opportunity to hold face-to-face discussions. “Being able to share with people that you have met is a lot easier than trying to liaise with a person you’ve only seen on a webinar.”
He points to the COVID-19 pandemic — during which FMs were able to apply lessons from other countries to mitigate their own outbreaks — as an example of why global connections are important. “With what we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important for all parties working in healthcare to build and increase their network,” he says.
Poggenpoel adds that IFHE is working to collaborate with the World Health Organization to build awareness among members of the challenges facing facilities today so that they can prepare for the future. We need to “find solutions together and not as individuals operating in healthcare,” he urges. “IFHE has provided me with this essential network of like-minded people working to enhance healthcare systems that benefit patients.”
To learn more about the upcoming 2026 World Congress in New Orleans, visit AMFP.
