Health Tech: The Safest Investment of the Decade

Integrating software into the healthcare industry increases the potential for improving access to healthcare globally. As we progress as a species, health technology is transforming the way we diagnose, treat, and prevent disease.

As we evolve and adapt, our lifestyles and daily habits also change, both individually and as a society. We live in urban areas more than ever, and the World Health Organization estimates that two-thirds of the world's population will live in urban areas by 2050.

Health will always be a priority

The increase in the world's population, especially in urban areas, is increasing the pressure on health systems, medical institutions and clinicians. A growing prevalence of mental health problems and growing risk factors such as smoking, lack of exercise and poor diet have led to non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart and lung disease, responsible 70% of deaths worldwide. In other words, our busier and more stressful lifestyles affect our physical and mental health.

With 15% of the world's population suffering from mental health conditions or addictions, it is clear that the burdens on our mental health are increasing. Therefore, it is essential for our well-being that we evolve our mental health prevention, treatment and care services.

To improve outcomes for patients around the world, new channels of investment opportunities are needed. The issue of access to health care in the most vulnerable parts of the world can be addressed by utilizing the benefits of evolving technologies and the roles they play in health care.

Investing in health technologies saves lives

Primary health care can be strengthened through more investment, and as a result, inequity in access is reduced. The United Nations estimates that approximately 60 million lives could be saved over the next decade if annual spending on primary health care in low- and middle-income countries increased by only 5%.

As the world becomes more and more digital, these budgets are geared towards the technological side of healthcare, i.e. health technology, and the ways in which this sector can be beneficial and financially efficient.

More resources must be invested in core health priorities and systems to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3), "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all". all at all ages". Billions of lives could be saved because at least half of the world's population does not receive the quality health services they need.

It is a crucial investment in the wider economy

Even in the most advantaged parts of the world, when people struggle with untreated illnesses and/or lack adequate support for disabilities, they are less able to perform, which hampers their productivity . It goes without saying, therefore, that poor health care, in general, will significantly impair productivity. This then further hampers job prospects and overall negatively affects capital development.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit us hard economically, and with the urgent need for things to get back to normal, investors have turned to healthcare as a respite. The world relied on innovative vaccines to save us, ultimately allowing businesses to reopen and thrive again.

Furthermore, universal health coverage would allow everyone to access the quality health services they need without the risk of financial impoverishment, thus helping to boost the global economy.

What is Health Technology?

The World Health Organization defines health technology as "the application of knowledge and skills organized in the form of devices, drugs, vaccines, procedures and systems developed to solve a problem health and improve the quality of life".

AI has the ability to organize and bring together global health data and help clinicians develop better patient care based on their individual attributes. It revolutionizes health,...