This interview explores the healthcare trends that are encompassing Asia Pacific in 2024 and beyond. In particular, exploring healthcare solutions in cancer care, cardiovascular, and neurovascular covering themes of digitalization, automation, personalized care, and working and being a partner of choice to customers, healthcare professionals (HCPs), and policymakers.
Healthcare continues to be a key priority for many governments in the region. COVID-19 of course put the issue of healthcare top of mind and on the agenda for governments and policymakers whilst some of the existing issues such as increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and more continues to be an area of focus for all of us in the healthcare sector.
The public sector is “walking the talk” by expanding healthcare spending and we also see the private sector playing a role in introducing new care models. Medtech companies such as Siemens Healthineers are also playing a role in transforming the patient experience and meeting their healthcare needs through innovative life-changing healthcare solutions, digitalizing healthcare as well as other initiative particularly in cardiovascular, cancer and neurovascular.
In terms of trends, the population is getting older, this is a known fact. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), by 2050, one in four people in the Asia Pacific region will be over 60 years old. The population of older persons (aged over 60) in the region will triple between 2010 and 2050, reaching close to 1.3 billion.
Consumers are also more digitally savvy, aware of their healthcare needs, conscious of quality of care and price sensitive which is paving way for telehealth and more personalized solutions.
Thirdly is the trend around cost. No doubt healthcare is getting expensive and a growing financial burden across Asia. As people get older, they get sicker and while they may live longer, it’s also about ensuring the best possible quality of life. Naturally the cost of healthcare goes up for them. There is focus on curative care and hospital care but more needs to be done for preventive care too. It’s about helping people before they get sick and need medical intervention.
Lastly is the around shortages of health care professionals (HPCs) due to variety of reasons including burn out, long hours, pay and more. According to the WHO, the largest needs-based shortages of nurses and midwives is in Southeast Asia and that the world will need an additional 9 million nurses and midwives by the year 2030. And this is not unique to nursing, there is a shortage of radiologist, surgeons, pharmacist and more. The shortage of HCPs is critical and requires immediate action to ensure that we can continue to serve patients and those in need.
One way to increase efficiency in the healthcare system and to make an impact is through transformative digital and automation solutions. Done well, it can bring change the patient journey as well as alleviate some of the pressures on the systems like inefficient processes, long manpower hours and more.
We see three critical areas that we can play a role.
1) Innovating personalized care by promoting the health of each patient. For example, by digitally connecting precise diagnosis with precise treatment.
2) Striving operational excellence by augmenting capabilities and simplifying the work of care teams so they can focus on creating value. This means with the help of AI based clinical decision supports tools, even automation tools for some routine tasks.
3) Transforming systems of care, enabling for instance smart care delivery models, like the hub and spokes model and hospital at home by seamlessly connecting stakeholders, bringing specialized knowledge closer to patients and providing access to equitable care.
Take imaging for example, our aim is to automate and streamline operations along the value chain. Our broad portfolio includes enterprise imaging IT, AI-powered decision support, as well as eHealth and patient engagement solutions. It comprises business intelligence, performance management tools and tele operations solutions, innovative cardiology IT, digital pathology as well as diagnostics IT and lab automation.
Another area that we are advancing is cross-border interoperability particularly within ASEAN to allow health systems, HCPs and patients to benefit from easier more efficient processes. An example would be with greater consistency in standard and platforms, the need for patient retesting can be reduced which results in cost, resource and time saving.
Digitalization is an area we will continue focusing on. Earlier this year we made the announcement of investing Rs. 1,300 crore into a new campus in Bengaluru by 2025 to expand our digital capabilities. The campus will also house an innovation hub, R&D facility, a manufacturing centre, and design and development units for entry-level products.
In 2020, the cancer incidence in Asia was 169.1 per 1 00 000, accounting for 49.3% of the global cancer incidence. The most common cancers included lung (13.8%), breast (10.8%) and colorectal (10.6%) cancers1.
Siemens Healthineers and Varian share a vision of creating a world without fear of cancer. We do this by combining our strengths by taking a leap in cancer care, and a leap in the impact on healthcare overall to accelerate the path from diagnosis to survivorship in one joint step.
Through accelerating our digital and AI-offerings, broadening the scope of our service networks and combining our technology and oncology expertise - we aim to improve how diagnostic imaging, radiation therapy, interventional oncology and surgery are delivered to fight cancer.
Our work with ICON Cancer Group in Australia is an example of how we provide advanced and accessible healthcare solutions. Many cancer patients receiving treatment involved expensive, time-consuming travel and sometimes must go to multiple locations to see the doctor, get radiation therapy and visit the pharmacy. Those living outside of city areas find it difficult to come into the city center for treatments.
Icon Group was on a mission to alleviate the stress of travel by bringing all elements of diagnosis and treatment – medical oncology, hematology, radiation therapy, and pharmacy – together in its new and expanding network of comprehensive cancer centers. Siemens Healthineers and Varian worked with ICON to provide CT scanners and linear accelerators as well as associated treatment software. These systems were installed in Icon Cancer Centers across Australia and parts of Asia to increase capacity and broaden patient access.
Through our products we are able to offer our customers seamless motion management with optimal accuracy whist being effective and efficient in capturing and processing images.
We are convinced that, in this increasingly complex world of healthcare, close ties between stakeholders, in particular goal oriented strategic partnerships, will help to accelerate the required changes like the adoption of innovative “fit-forpurpose” technology, bold digital transformation and the transfer of worldclass healthcare management practices.
An example here in Malaysia would be our value partnership with HMI Group where we provide not only technology and digital solutions but support HMI to create value through enhanced training programs and provide healthcare consulting to further develop Centres of Excellence in the areas of cancer, cardiovascular and neurology.
HMI Group and Siemens Healthineers have entered into a strategic partnership to advance healthcare delivery in Southeast Asia.
Asia Pacific is a diverse region with each country facing its own unique healthcare challenges. However fundamentally, it comes down to the consumer. Consumers are more health conscious, they are well informed, engaged and expect better experiences.
New ways of collaboration are key. Not just within Siemens Healthineers but also with other established players in the sector so that we can solve healthcare challenges in a meaningful way. Working together, we can collectively build capabilities in areas such as AI, robotics, digital health to reduce barriers to access and make it affordable.
Working with startups are also another way. We work with organisations such as Medtech Innovator to help support startups in the sector scale by building capability and providing mentorship.
Healthcare is a complex sector and no one company can go at it alone. We need to be partnering up with as many stakeholders as possible to ramp up the speed of our progress, operate sustainably and reach everyone, everywhere.
An example would be our work around AI and our partnership with Global Fund to accelerate the adoption of tuberculosis diagnosis which needs much needed attention particularly in Asia.
According to the Bloomberg Innovation Index, Asian countries are expected to be among the most innovative globally. However, in the field of healthcare and medtech, with the exception of Japan, the representation of Asian companies is relatively small.
Governments around the region can change this by implementing regulations and policies that promote a thriving medtech innovation ecosystem. This includes robust regulatory frameworks that support expeditious access to safe and effective technologies; R&D and manufacturing incentives to increase local capabilities and meet local healthcare needs; reimbursement policies that reward innovation and provide incentives for improved outcomes; and policies that promote the adoption of digital and AI-enabled solutions to support resource-sharing and help address skills gaps.
Siemens Healthineers is committed to partnering with governments around the region, partners as well as organisations such as Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association (APACMed) to improve access to early diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
Siemens Healthineers underscores its commitment to sustainability with clearly defined and measurable ESG goals. With its portfolio the company contributes to improving quality of life through access to healthcare and innovation. Patient touchpoints in underserved countries are to be increased by more than one quarter by 2025. Siemens Healthineers is also strengthening its ongoing activities for decarbonization along the entire value chain and is thus contributing to a regenerative and healthy environment. The ESG goals also include promoting diversity, inclusion, and employee engagement. It is a set goal to increase the percentage of women in senior management to 30 percent by 2025.
No doubt, while have been making progress, we need to continue this journey. Which is why recently, updating our purpose statement to include sustainably was critical. It sends a clear signal to our employees and external stakeholders that sustainability is an important area for us; we want to operate sustainably to continue serving everyone everywhere.
Data will play a critical role in influencing the patient journey and ultimately the outcome. There are substantial challenges to overcome specifically when looking at how patients experience their own health data and reports. Additionally, healthcare providers increasingly deal with multimorbidity in patients and need to find approaches to better manage chronic diseases.
With interoperability as the baseline and enabler of our solutions, we work with partners such as hospitals to manage the flow of patient data which help HCPs optimize the decision-making process. By creating a holistic view of the patient, we enable HCPs to improve cooperative care and patient outcomes.
As a results HCPs can collaborate efficiently and deliver high-quality patient care, resources are managed effectively, enhance access to care and critically, enable patients to engage in their own health.
References:
1 Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Asian Countries: A Trend Analysis - PMC (nih.gov)
