Healthcare in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is overdue for an upgrade. Are there digital health investments that governments can make today to both curb the growth of non-communicable diseases and start them on the path of sustainable digital transformation? If you happen to be reading this blog on your smartphone, you might be aware that your app store is full of … [Read more...] about Digital Therapeutics: Will you be downloading your next treatment for diabetes or depression?
Salud
Self-directed Care: the Benefits of Cash and Counseling
Meet Elizabeth, an 80-year-old widow with multiple chronic health conditions for years. Previously, she relied solely on her daughter Angela for unpaid assistance with personal care and household tasks. Angela lives close by and cares for Elizabeth before or after going to her job at a local supermarket and on her days off. Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s needs for assistance became … [Read more...] about Self-directed Care: the Benefits of Cash and Counseling
Menopause: less stigma and more empathy
A few years ago, I wrote an article about the benefits of becoming a mother after the age of 40. Although pregnancy caused significant changes and discomfort, the excitement of my child’s arrival overshadowed those challenges. What I didn't expect was that, years later, I would again experience intense changes. But this time, instead of lasting nine months, they could last for … [Read more...] about Menopause: less stigma and more empathy
Can We Do Better than Normal for Health?
In the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic it is easy to both remain stunned by the pandemic’s impact and long for some kind of normalcy. That is certainly true for health systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, which were hit hard and are struggling to recover. But what should recovery look like? While it is tempting to be nostalgic about pre-pandemic times, those were … [Read more...] about Can We Do Better than Normal for Health?
Can We Afford a Healthy Future?
In the early 1960s, when United States healthcare expenses reached 3% of GDP, members of the U.S. Congress were so outraged that they held hearings to address such an unsustainable level of spending. The passing years have shown that 3% was not only sustainable, it was cheap. Today, healthcare spending in the United States is over 17% of GDP. The countries of … [Read more...] about Can We Afford a Healthy Future?