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Interview: Health systems should use resources in best way possible: expert

Xinhua, October 31, 2015 Adjust font size:

Health systems should use resources in the best way possible, economist specialized in the health sector, Nuria Mas, told Xinhua in an interview on the occasion of the 22nd Healthcare Industry Meeting, held this week in the IESE Business School in Barcelona.

Mas explained that the sector faces several global challenges that "force us to rethink the way we manage the system."

These challenges are the aging population, financial pressures and chronic diseases that are related to aging, and finally, the large increase in information and knowledge daily produced.

"So we have to think of a different way of organizing health systems," she said, "specialists should read 20 articles each day of their subject to be updated, which is very complicated."

"In all countries, not only in the advanced economies, between 70 and 80 percent of health spending is linked to chronic diseases," Mas said, commenting that according to some studies health systems often face inefficiencies, a fact that confirms that "we can spend better, with these resources to achieve the best possible health."

Mas also assured that the Spanish health system "is a good system, but that does not mean we have to relax" and warned "we have to make progress because needs have clearly changed and the system has to change because the needs are different."

During the meeting entitled "Innovation for the New Healthcare Era" held this week at the IESE, it was noted that innovation was not only a new drug or a new technology, but also "innovation in a broad sense."

"We need to innovate in finding new ways of financing... finding new ways to manage health," Mas said, while stressing the important role of the large amount of data available on health. "This data do not substitute the doctor's view but it helps to take better decisions."

The Healthcare Industry Meeting is held annually and gathers senior executives, public officials, academics and professionals of the health sector. Endit