Ending the world health crisis

Perhaps half the people who die each day – more in poor areas – suffer from diseases that are preventable or curable. While medical advances do help patients live longer, the costs of care are rising. And even as science discovers new mechanisms of disease, medicine relies too much on trial and error.

The good news is, solutions are at hand to improve the health of the world’s 7 billion people. We can transform healthcare systems to care for patients in more sustained and cost-effective ways. Here are five strategic approaches:

Focus on prevention. The virtual eradication of diseases through immunisation is one of the great success stories of the last century. Now, we need vigorous global commitment to screening and vaccination to prevent equally threatening diseases. Also, cultural changes in diet, exercise and environmental exposures hold the potential to vastly improve wellness – or degrade people’s health.

Translate science into clinical value. Pharmaceutical and biomedical firms have always focused on translating science into commercially available treatments. Now the pace of discovery is pouring forth insights in abundance. Companies, universities and healthcare providers must all collaborate in translational research.

Personalise treatments. Trial and error has been surprisingly common. Usually the first line of treatment is the drug that works for the most patients. If that fails, the patient gets a different drug, then another, and so on. Now the genomic revolution and the costs of chronic diseases make it possible and desirable to use individual data to guide treatments. Personalised care reduces costs and saves lives.

Keep investing in research. The economic malaise has brought “austerity” to the lips of leaders around the world. Many R&D groups already are finding ways to manage projects and laboratories more efficiently. But we must sustain funding for research – investing in the world’s future health.

Address distribution problems. Beyond resource limitations, many developing nations lack basic infrastructure for delivering care, and even in wealthier nations the poor may lack access. Healthcare distribution must be a compelling focus for governments, NGOs and businesses.

No, these are not easy solutions. The World Economic Forum has made Health for All a priority because it’s a classic challenge of limited resources versus vast demands. But we do want to live in a healthier world. 

 

Peer M Schatz, chief executive of QIAGEN, has spearheaded the company’s focus on sample and assay technologies and efforts to bring these technologies to customers.