Pasquale Frega - President Novartis LACan Region (Canada and Latin America)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the last decade, the healthcare sector has undergone a constant transformation, driven mainly by the integration of the new technologies available and the growing commitment to put patients at the heart of the conversation. These drivers are aimed at meeting the third goal of the United Nations (UN) in terms of sustainable development: universal access to health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the great health challenges currently facing the Latin American and Caribbean region is to change the idea that guaranteeing health for all is simply an expense, when in fact it is an investment focused on ensuring that people fully enjoy the right to have the health services they need available to them when they need them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Esta regi\u00f3n enfrenta retos particulares, uno de ellos son las enfermedades cardiovasculares, las cuales constituyen una de las principales causas de muerte en hombres y mujeres en Am\u00e9rica Latina y a nivel global, pues las cifras revelan que son las causantes de alrededor de 19 millones de muertes anuales en el mundo, y \u00a0 m\u00e1s de 2 millones en Am\u00e9rica Latina y Canad\u00e1, adem\u00e1s de traer una caga econ\u00f3mica directa a los sistemas de salud de m\u00e1s de 600.000 millones de d\u00f3lares al a\u00f1o, tan solo en los pa\u00edses miembros de G20+. Lo anterior, se puede agravar cuando no hay las mismas oportunidades para acceder a servicios de salud, propiciando retraso en el diagn\u00f3stico y tratamiento.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
INVESTING IN HEALTH IS INVESTING IN LIFE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Investment in health is a commitment to the present and the future of the region, a way of guaranteeing a better quality of life and greater equity for all. This has gone hand in hand with a long history of health reforms based on principles of solidarity and collective work to overcome inequality gaps in terms of universal access to health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These reforms have created instances, mechanisms, and initiatives for coordination and dialogue between all actors in the health ecosystem, for example, PAHO PRAIS - Regional Platform for Access and Innovation of Health Technologies, IDB - Regional Public Goods.\nHowever, one of the great challenges faced when talking about Universal Health Coverage is financial sustainability, which implies heavy financial pressure on governments. In this regard, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) estimates that public spending on health in the region corresponds to 3.8% of GDP, far from the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommendation of 6% of GDP, which undoubtedly represents a significant challenge in achieving universal, dignified and equal access to health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n INNOVATION IN HIGH-IMPACT PROJECTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n El valor de la innovaci\u00f3n en proyectos que vayan en beneficio de la salud de la sociedad es indiscutible. Impulsar nuevos productos farmac\u00e9uticos y tecnol\u00f3gicos, pensados espec\u00edficamente para las necesidades de la regi\u00f3n de Am\u00e9rica Latina y el Caribe es una garant\u00eda, no s\u00f3lo del inmediato mejoramiento de la calidad de vida, sino para salvar millones de vidas. Como dijo una vez Bill Gates: “Si nuestro objetivo es salvar vidas humanas, necesitamos otro nivel de innovaci\u00f3n, no s\u00f3lo tecnol\u00f3gica, sino tambi\u00e9n sist\u00e9mica”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is essential to promote concrete projects for specific diseases that afflict the region. An example of this is breast cancer, which has a prevalence of 213.7 per 100,000 people, meaning that nearly 6 million people in the region suffer from it, mainly women. It is worth noting that medical and pharmaceutical innovations have significantly improved the life prognosis, survival rates, and quality of life of thousands of breast cancer patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the impact on society and people's lives cannot be measured solely in terms of clinical outcomes. For example, a woman who, in addition to receiving early diagnosis and timely treatment of breast cancer, must also obtain other types of care for needs that are not only in the sense of the patient's physical health, providing comprehensive care at the different levels of people's lives by providing support and attention to the mental health of the patient and her family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although today there are many challenges to overcome to achieve universal health care in Latin America and the Caribbean, one that is dignified, according to the needs of the population, the efforts in the world of medicine do not cease, in a hasty and permanent way, and innovation in medicines and therapies has grown at an unprecedented rate, especially after the COVID 19 pandemic. Currently, there are more than 9,000 new medicines and vaccines in the development phase. I believe that there is still a long way to go, but, through systemic innovation and collaboration with public and private entities, I am confident that we will soon find solutions that will allow us to build a healthcare legacy for the future.<\/p>\n\n