On 13 May, the 2026 d.HOLIDAY Conference brought together more than 50 healthcare professionals, patient associations, travel partners, and Diaverum representatives from 22 countries in Sopot, Poland, united by a shared mission: making travel more accessible, safer, and more seamless for dialysis patients around the world.
The conference opened with an internal strategy session, where global d.HOLIDAY teams and members of Diaverum’s leadership discussed the future development of our holiday dialysis programme.
During the session, Diaverum’s CEO Rafael Romanini highlighted how travel dialysis reflects Diaverum’s True care culture and its commitment to enabling patients to live fulfilling lives. He emphasised the importance of changing the mindset around dialysis and travel, helping patients understand that dialysis should not limit their freedom to experience life.
A key part of this support comes from Diaverum’s global network of d.HOLIDAY coordinators, who guide patients throughout their travel journey- from planning and logistics to treatment coordination - helping them travel with greater confidence and peace of mind.
The session also featured a presentation of kidney.com, Diaverum’s new AI-powered kidney health assistant, currently available in the UAE, France, Germany, Portugal and the UK.
The second part of the day, open to all participants, featured a series of presentations from both Diaverum representatives and external speakers.
Michal Kowalski, Country Manager of Diaverum Poland, opened the programme with the presentation “Discovering Poland through the lens of d.HOLIDAY”. He showcased Diaverum’s strong presence in Poland, with 22 clinics across the country, and highlighted the country’s appeal as a destination for holiday dialysis patients.
Carlos Lucas, VP Medical at Diaverum, followed with a presentation titled “Travel that enhances quality of life”, exploring the impact dialysis can have on patients’ mobility, independence, and social freedom. He addressed the challenges patients face when travelling and underlined the important role holidays & mobility play in overall well-being and quality of life. Dr Lucas also highlighted that travel is possible and safe for most dialysis patients, with adequate planning, strong coordination, and high clinical standards.
The conference also gave space to personal patient perspectives. Dialysis patient Saleh Francisco Es-Sinawi Torregrosa shared his own experiences travelling while on dialysis, reminding the audience that dialysis is only a small part of life and should not prevent people from making travel plans. Natalia Grabowska, daughter and travel companion of a dialysis patient, also offered an important family perspective on creating safe, supportive, and positive travel experiences.
Another special guest was Sabine Switalla, Founder of CareUnderSun, who presented how her company helps make accessible travel in Greece possible for people with medical needs.
Fiona Loud, Policy Director at Kidney Care UK - the UK’s leading kidney patient support charity - delivered a presentation titled “Confidence to travel: what people on dialysis need to feel safe, supported and empowered”. She highlighted the important role patient organisations and charities play in encouraging and enabling patients to travel with confidence.
One of the key moments of the conference was the panel discussion “What must happen next to enable more patients to travel?”, moderated by Michaela Blomstrand, Director Global Patient Experience & Stakeholder Management at Diaverum.
The panel brought together a diverse group of internal and external experts, including: Daniel Gallego, President of the European Kidney Patients’ Federation (EKPF); Dimitrios Sotiropoulos, Call Centre Manager at bookdialysis.com; Filipe Almeida, world traveller and transplanted patient; Walaa Alsabbagh, d.HOLIDAY Coordinator at Diaverum Saudi Arabia. They all agreed that greater awareness is needed to build confidence around travel and help patients understand that travelling while on dialysis is possible with the right planning and support.
The event concluded with a series of interactive workshops, followed by a visit to Diaverum’s clinic in Gdynia.
Elenor Mårtensson, Global Customer Manager for d.HOLIDAY, shared: “The 2026 d.HOLIDAY Conference showed what is possible when healthcare professionals, patient advocates, travel partners, and patients come together around a shared purpose. Together, we exchanged experiences, explored new ideas, and strengthened our commitment to making travel more accessible, safer, and more seamless for people on dialysis.
A sincere thank you to everyone who contributed to making this event such a success. I look forward to continuing this important dialogue and building on the strong momentum created during the conference”.
Michaela Blomstrand added: “The desire to travel comes from a basic human need to move freely. At Diaverum, we are committed to helping our patients enjoy that freedom safely and confidently. Through d.HOLIDAY, we enable patients to travel and spend meaningful time with family & friends without disrupting their treatment”.
Find out more about d.HOLIDAY and our Fly Back programme, which supports travel even for patients on active transplant waiting lists, here.
