Citizen-centric healthcare

Today, advanced technology in medical domain, discoveries in pharmaceutical sector, and increasing experience in medical practice and other such factors have enabled us to overcome chronic diseases such as diabetes, COPD, and so on, thereby influencing life expectancy positively. But, why are we afflicted by such maladies in the first place? Could these ailments be prevented? There may not be a clear yes or no answer to that. However, the silver bullet for sizable health predicaments is agreed to be prevention – rather than cure.

As per the WHO the fat intake of the human population has increased and is above the maximum 30% of recommended energy share in North America and Western Europe, with saturated fats also above the recommended 10% mark. Most Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OE CD) countries even do not meet the stipulated consumption of fruits and vegetables of 400 grams per day or more.

Aging population is a significant contributing factor to the increasing world population – approximately 600 million today are 60+ years old. With this rate of growth, 21% of the entire world population would be aged above 65 years by 2050. For developed countries it is even worrisome, especially for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) - 26% of the population is estimated to be aged by 2050. Consequently this situation has increased the financial burden on working population due to cross-subsidisation.

However, despite the awareness of these widely recognised advantages and benefits of preventive healthcare, health systems in countries of the OECD invest only a fraction of their expenditure (merely 3% on average) in prevention of diseases. Moreover, most healthcare services are delivered inside medical premises. Despite being built for acute events, many hospitals allot a significant number of their beds to chronically ill patients, with considerable cost consequences.

Download Thought Piece (1.3mb)