Encouraging global collaboration at Davos 2024

Representatives from the Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience (PHSSR) attended Davos 2024, the 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, to raise the profile of the many challenges facing global health systems today and facilitate meaningful, solutions-focused conversations on the world stage.   

With many health systems around the world in a perilous state, and facing accumulating pressures and increasing demands, building resilient and sustainable health systems is not just an aspiration but a global imperative. 

To achieve this, health diplomacy and policy reforms are urgently needed to rebuild trust in governments, corporations, and other institutions. PHSSR Steering Committee member Emanuele Capobianco, Chief Strategy and Impact Officer, WHO Foundation, published an article to share his perspectives on this important topic ahead of Davos 2024. You can read the full article here.

Representatives from the PHSSR Steering Committee and member organisations also participated in a panel discussion to discuss learnings from past events and the importance of building strong and resilient global health systems, with speakers including:  

• Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization 
• Shyam Bishen, Head, Centre for Health and Healthcare and Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum 
• Roy Jakobs, President and Chief Executive Officer, Royal Philips 
• Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd 
• Nisia Trindade Lima, Minister of Health, Ministry of Health of Brazil 
• Michel Demaré, Chair of the Board, AstraZeneca

Watch a recording of the panel discussion below.

“Good preparation for crisis happens when there is no crisis”

Michel Demaré, Chair of the Board, AstraZeneca

PHSSR Steering Committee member Shyam Bishen introduced the session and spoke about the importance of ensuring health systems can continually deliver over the long term while also being able to better prepare for, adapt to, learn, and recover from any future health system shock or crisis and accumulated stresses.  

Roy Jakobs highlighted the importance of implementing and scaling digital solutions which could help to build more productive, sustainable and resilient health systems, and Michel Demaré emphasised that it is vital to foster a joined-up healthcare ecosystem to proactively prepare for future crises. 

It was inspiring to meet and hear from leaders and experts at Davos 2024, and the PHSSR hopes these discussions will pave the way for long-term strategies that help to build more sustainable and resilient health systems globally.