The Road from Sickcare to Healthcare

How to add 80 billion productive years to our current generation

By: Solomon Darwin, Sampath Kumar

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

The global burden of disease is staggering, with millions of people suffering from both communicable and non-communicable diseases. The cost of healthcare is also rising, with many countries struggling to provide quality healthcare services to their populations. According to WHO estimates, non-communicable diseases account for 71% of all deaths worldwide, with cardiovascular diseases, cancers, respiratory diseases, and diabetes being the leading causes. The burden of these diseases is expected to increase in the coming years, with the global cost of non-communicable diseases projected to reach a cumulative $47 trillion during the period from 2011 to 2030. This represents a significant economic burden on individuals, families, and societies at large.
However, the good news is that many of these diseases can be prevented through lifestyle changes and early detection. For instance, tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, accounting for nearly 8 million deaths each year. Similarly, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, and alcohol consumption are also major risk factors for non-communicable diseases.
Prevention and early detection can save lives and reduce healthcare costs. For example, a study conducted by the American Heart Association found that every $1 invested in prevention could save $5 in healthcare costs. Similarly, a study published in The Lancet estimated that investments in prevention could save $350 billion annually by 2030.
Furthermore, investments in prevention and cure can also have a significant impact on global health equity. According to WHO, about half of the world's population does not have access to essential health services, with many individuals in low- and middle-income countries lacking access to basic preventive and curative care.
The need for more prevention and cure of disease is urgent, both from a health and economic perspective. By investing in prevention and early detection, we can save lives, reduce healthcare costs, and promote health equity. It is time for all stakeholders, including governments, the private sector, and civil society, to come together and prioritize prevention and cure as a fundamental pillar of global health. The open innovation approach to developing scalable and sustainable business models is a critical element of the coming transformation of healthcare, as you'll discover in this book.