Human Health & Wellbeing

The world is a very different place than it was ten years ago, and nowhere is this more evident than in healthcare. The aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic, combined with the financial downturn and an acceleration in the adoption of technology and digitization, have dramatically changed the landscape for everyone, patient or practitioner. Forbes deep dives into the future of Healthcare.

Where are digital health investors deploying their capital? Which parts of the world are they operating from? In this special report, Dario Heymann PhD, chief research officer at Galen Growth, reveals crucial information about investor behaviour within the digital health space…

After three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems in countries have started showing the first major signs of health system recovery, according to the WHO interim report on the “Fourth round of the global pulse survey on continuity of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic: November 2022–January 2023”. By early 2023, countries reported experiencing reduced disruptions in the delivery of routine health services, but highlighted the need to invest in recovery and stronger resilience for the future.

Tremendous progress in child and maternal health has been achieved over the past decades but millions of women and children are still dying from causes that can be prevented with quality health care and strong health systems. Communicable and non-communicable diseases, mental health conditions, injuries, malnutrition, environmental hazards: All pose threats to children worldwide. Still, within and among countries, stark inequities persist when it comes to accessing live-saving care. UNICEF deep dives into what can be done.

World Economic Forum look at Healthcare innovation and how it is accelerating at an unprecedented scale, particularly in the digital sphere. Advances such as artificial intelligence and gene editing are transforming the way diseases are detected and treated.

The challenges to ending hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition keep growing. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the fragilities in our agrifood systems and the inequalities in our societies, driving further increases in world hunger and severe food insecurity. Despite global progress, trends in child undernutrition – including stunting and wasting, deficiencies in essential micronutrients and overweight and obesity in children, continue to be of great concern. Further, maternal anaemia and obesity among adults continue to be alarming.

Clifford Chance experts look at key global trends in AI, wearables, robotics, cyber security, data flows and supply chain resilience.

In recent years, there has been increasing acknowledgement of the important role mental health plays in achieving global development goals, as illustrated by the inclusion of mental health in the Sustainable Development Goals. Increased investment is required on all fronts according to the World Health Organisation; for mental health awareness to increase understanding and reduce stigma; for efforts to increase access to quality mental health care and effective treatments; and for research to identify new treatments and improve existing treatments for all mental disorders.

The first ever Global Status of Physical Activity Report took data from 194 countries to show that overall, progress is slow and that countries need to accelerate the development and implementation of policies to increase levels of physical activity and thereby prevent disease and reduce burden on already overwhelmed health care systems.