Building sustainable systems for all at Future of Healthcare Week Asia

Economist Impact’s third annual Future of Healthcare Week brought together health ministers, doctors, investors, scientists and senior business representatives from health and technology. Live from Singapore and moderated by Economist Impact, a cohort of expert speakers examined the vulnerabilities and opportunities that the recent crisis catalysed to “build back better”.

In a panel discussion on fostering value-based care, Jeremy Lim, Director at the National University of Singapore’s Leadership Institute for Global Health Transformation said. “Doctors like to think that we are artists but…in value based healthcare, we should be technicians because as it said “variation is the enemy of quality”. Jeremey continued by expressing his positive view towards the shift and adoption of patient-centric thinking, “Younger doctors, particularly, are much more ready to embrace evidence-based medicine and standardised approaches.”

The second day of discussions focussed on the aftermath of covid-19. Cheong Wei Yang, deputy secretary (technology) of Singapore’s Ministry of Health shared, “The way to ensure we are always prepared for the next pandemic is that the systems we have found very useful in the pandemic are repurposed into areas which are of ongoing concern…so [the system] can pivot back into a pandemic use as and when we need. ”

On healthy ageing, Paulin Straughan, director of Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA) at Singapore Management University said, “Population ageing simply means that when we don’t have that younger cohort and are going to have to depend on our older cohort”. To leverage the benefits of the more experienced workforce, she said, “what employers need to do is learn how to create job responsibilities that match the talent and experience of the different layers of our labour force”.

The third and final day of discussions, which took place online, examined the opportunities provided by AI in healthcare. Kai-Fu Lee, chairman and chief executive of Sinovation Ventures, and president of Sinovation Ventures Artificial Intelligence Institute said, “In the next 10 years, we really see huge opportunities in medical imaging and pathology, in drug discovery, in multi omics, diagnostic AI, in personalised treatment and in robotic surgery”.

Future of Healthcare Week also provided macro-level analysis coupled with practical insights on healthcare-system weaknesses, labour shortages, green health, data application and ownership during the rise of Web 3.0. On-demand access is now available, along with event details, on the event website.

Chaired by The Economist Group’s editors, Future of Healthcare Week featured a cohort of expert speakers, including:

• Alice Budisatrijo, head of misinformation policy, Asia-Pacific, Meta
• Akeem Ali, head, Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health, World Health Organisation, Western Pacific Region
• Alexander Maxwell, vice-president, healthcare supply chain operations, DKSH
• Clair Deevy, global director of social impact, WhatsApp
• Deborah Seifert, Country manager, Thailand and Indochina, Pfizer Inc, and chairperson, Pfizer Emerging Markets Asia Regional Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Jeremy Lim, director, Leadership Institute for Global Health Transformation, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore
• Jiadi Yu, chief investment officer, International Finance Corporation
• Lee Chien Earn, deputy group chief executive (Regional Health System), Singapore Health Services (SingHealth)
• Manus Potaporn, deputy director-general, Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand
• Mary Wong-Hemrajani, chairman, Global Chinese Breast Cancer Organisations Alliance
• Peter Hotez, dean, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine
• Roberta Sarno, director of digital health, Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association (APACMed)
• Sania Nishtar, cardiologist and member of the Senate, Pakistan
• Surakameth Mahasirimongkol, director, Medical Life Sciences Institute, Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand
• and many more

Economist Impact’s third annual Future of Healthcare Week Asia united 300 healthcare leaders in Singapore–joined by 1,000 organisations online–to examine the vulnerabilities and opportunities that the recent crisis has catalysed. Over 3 days, policymakers, healthcare providers, academics and scientists shared practical learnings with representatives from industry, patient associations, charities and finance.

To engage with Future of Healthcare Week on social media, use #EconFutureofHealthcare in your conversations and follow @EconomistEvents.

For further details and questions, and to register to watch on-demand, please contact:

Asia Events

E: [email protected]

Future of Healthcare Week is supported by Pfizer and Whatsapp. Insight hours are supported by Abbott, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, ASGH and Philips.

PR Newswire is the communication partner of Future of Healthcare Week.