Germany

"We like to move it – for more exercise with osteoarthritis!":  

With this campaign, the German Rheumatism League drew attention to the importance of exercise for osteoarthritis on World Arthritis Day 2025. Around five million people in Germany live with osteoarthritis. The German Rheumatism League emphasizes that even small amounts of exercise can help: exercise nourishes the cartilage, strengthens muscles, reduces inflammation and can slow down the progression of the disease.  

To support this, short, professionally reviewed exercise videos are available from World Rheumatism Day onwards, led by Marleen Kerstin, sports scientist at the German Rheumatism League. These everyday tips will be shared on social media to offer practical suggestions to as many people as possible. 

In addition, the Rheumatism League organised an expert week on its digital exchange platform Team Rheuma: those affected were able to ask orthopaedic rheumatologists and orthopaedic surgeons questions and receive helpful tips on osteoarthritis – open to members and non-members alike.  

In addition, two exercise posters with exercises to follow along with have been reissued: these can be downloaded and ordered online.  

The campaign from the German Rheumatism League combined education, medical expertise and specific exercise programmes to encourage people with osteoarthritis and support them in their everyday lives. The campaign is supported by the Federal Ministry of Health. 

Ghana

Ghana Takes a Step Forward in Rheumatology Care 

The Rheumatology Initiative (tRi) marked World Arthritis Day (WAD) 2025 with a significant milestone - the launch of RheumaConnect, a digital platform App aimed at improving access to rheumatology care and patient education in Ghana. The event's theme, "It's Not Just Joint Pain," highlighted the growing burden of autoimmune and musculoskeletal diseases in the country. 

Rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, gout, and vasculitis are significant public health challenges in Ghana, often causing long diagnostic delays and limited specialist care. According to Prof. Alfred Yawson, Provost of the College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, "National recognition of rheumatology in Ghana's non-communicable disease strategy is crucial for chronic care and productivity." 

RheumaConnect App is a comprehensive platform that enables patients to track symptoms, receive medication reminders, access educational resources, and connect with the limited rheumatologists. The platform also supports healthcare professionals with training and referral tools. 

Guest of honor, Member of Parliament Dr. Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings, emphasised the need for rheumatology to be a national health priority, investment in training and diagnostics, and integration of early detection into primary care. 

As Prof. Dzifa Dey, Director of tRi, noted, "This is more than a medical campaign; it's a movement for equity, awareness, and hope." 

Hungary

Dreams for Health – Time Capsule 2025–2030 

In October 2025, 35 people living with RMDs in Hungary shared their dreams about their medical condition, general healthcare and patient advocacy for the next five years as part of WAD. Their reflections reveal personal hopes, desires, fears, systemic critiques and visionary dreams. Most of them trust in the progress of science and technology, while also emphasizing the importance of human values: empathy, dignity, and personal responsibility in the healing process. We placed the visions in a time capsule, which will be opened in 2030. 

Expected trends by 2030: 

• AI and digital healthcare will become fundamental in diagnostics and hospital processes. 
• Personalized medicine and gene therapy may transform the treatment of chronic diseases. 
• Hybrid care models (human and robotic assistance) will emerge. 
• Holistic and preventive approaches will receive increasing emphasis. 
• The need for reform in the public healthcare system will remain a central issue, especially reducing waiting lists and improving access in rural areas. 
• The visions of the future reflect both technological optimism and a deep human desire for compassion and equality in healthcare. 

These dreams remind us that progress is measured not only in innovation, but also in accessibility, empathy, and shared responsibility – values in which they hope Hungary’s healthcare system will fully flourish by 2030. 

Ireland

To mark World Arthritis Day, Arthritis Ireland partnered with 16 rheumatology clinics across the country, creating a unified effort to highlight the importance of World Arthritis Day. This nationwide collaboration ensured that the campaign reached diverse communities, from urban centres to regional hospitals, strengthening visibility and inclusivity.

Each clinic received a carefully curated pack of branded materials, including posters, banners, leaflets, and digital assets. These resources provided clinics with ready-to-use tools to create eye-catching displays in waiting areas and consultation rooms, reinforcing the message of awareness and support for people living with arthritis. 

Clinics were encouraged to share images of their displays across social media platforms. This not only showcased their participation but also amplified the campaign’s reach beyond physical spaces.   

The theme of this year’s World Arthritis Day, ‘Achieve your dreams’ provided a powerful framework for Arthritis Ireland’s campaign. It emphasised that living with arthritis does not mean giving up on aspirations, but rather finding new ways to pursue them with resilience, creativity, and support. Arthritis Ireland’s campaign focused on a number of inspiring stories of people who live with arthritis as well as the supports and services that we provide to our community.

Achieve Your Dreams Campaign

The theme of this year’s World Arthritis Day, ‘Achieve your dreams’ provided a powerful framework for Arthritis Ireland’s campaign. It emphasised that living with arthritis does not mean giving up on aspirations, but rather finding new ways to pursue them with resilience, creativity, and support. Arthritis Ireland’s campaign focused on a number of inspiring stories of people who live with arthritis as well as the supports and services that we provide to our community.

Panama

FUNARP (Fundación de Artritis Reumatoide de Panamá) commemorated World Arthritis Day on October 11, 2025, highlighting the event "Dreams that Heal". The day started with insightful educational sessions and a highly interactive focus on patient dreams. 

The event’s success was strengthened by FUNARP’s extensive outreach efforts, which included sending more than two dozen sponsorship invitations to our network. This secured 10 enthusiastic patrons, including pharmaceutical and retail companies, physicians, HPRs, and the Panamanian Society of Rheumatology, who contributed to the venue, gifts, and prizes. 

"Dreams that Heal," established an innovative core of the day, designed to nurture authentic connection and emotional impact. Patients and caretakers shared their personal and community dreams, pinning them to boards. The top dreams were the need for access to quality medications and timely medical appointments. Sponsors confidentially submitted wishes for the patients; when a dream matched a wish, the patient received a prize, resulting in thirty-five matched prizes. 

The 4.5-hour event also featured three conferences led by experts and a Health Fair. 120 prizes and gifts were distributed. The event successfully reached seventy in-person attendees and over 200 concurrent viewers online, providing vital education and hope.   

Portugal

"Dream is a constant part of every day." 
(quote from António Gedeão, Portuguese poet) 

Our dream began as a spark after confinement, lighting the path toward renewal.  

Since 1999, the Portuguese League Against Rheumatic Diseases (LPCDR) has hosted the Forum of Support to Rheumatic Patients annually in Lisbon. After two decades, circumstances called for transformation: the Forum evolved into a digital format, opening new doors for connection and support through newsletters, webinars, and podcasts. 

Yet, the warmth and closeness of in-person meetings was missed. The Forum returned to live events, now rotating across Portuguese cities to unite patients, families, and professionals.  

In 2025, our dream took us to São Miguel, the largest island of the Azores, becoming a flame that warms our soul. 

Held on October 11th, the Forum focused on Health and Safety, drawing strong local participation and media coverage. Mariana Carvalho collected participants’ dreams at registration, sharing them through social media videos. A local member, previously a national Edgar Stene Prize entrant, launched a book on RA titled Between Pains and Dreams. 

While achieving our goal of raising awareness on RMDs, improving health literacy, and empowering people to turn their dreams into action, we also provided our members the chance to enjoy the natural beauty and local traditions of the Azorean island of São Miguel.  

We celebrated WAD with a bus tour through lush landscapes, a visit to the gardens of Parque Terra Nostra and a thermal bath experience, followed by lunch, tasting the Furnas stew, cooked underground with heat and steam coming from the interior of the earth. After visiting the Gorreana Tea Factory and breathtaking viewpoints, we went to the airport. As the journey ended, we carried lovely memories and the conviction that dreams rise beyond limits. 

Spain

World Arthritis Day: Highlighting challenges of chronic pain 

The Galician association, part of LIRE—the Spanish EULAR PARE member organisation—marked World Arthritis Day with a strong awareness campaign at the regional parliament. They called for an integral approach to chronic pain, stressing that over 700,000 people in Galicia live with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases that impact daily life. The campaign urged a multidisciplinary model and more funding for services like psychology, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy, under the motto “Unidos por un color, unidos por el dolor” and the hashtag #ponlecorazon. 

The Galician association also launched creative social media videos, including “Que manos tienes” (showing how to cook despite limitations) and “Los animales nos ayudan a modular el dolor” (highlighting pets’ role in pain  management). Additionally, they held an open session on RMDs and organised workshops across towns, even partnering with veterinarians.