Healthcare

This chapter focuses on healthcare in the context of development strategy. In particular, we discuss the roles of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in healthcare – their uses, benefits, and challenges, which are critical in the ‘third unbundling’ as discussed in chapter 1, and provide key areas for consideration in developing a digital healthcare strategy towards improvements in productivity and the next stage in socioeconomic growth. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia countries are currently, at different rates, undergoing a remarkable demographic transition which will result in an unprecedented increase in the numbers and proportion of older people. As a region, the United Nations projected that Asia would be home to more than 937 million people who are 65 years or older by 2050 (UN, 2017). The ageing of our population raises important sustainability issues for societies, notably the pressure placed on health systems and more generally, on social care. Inevitably, the demand for long-term care will increase. Along with this, there will be a need to build capacity in the long-term care workforce and facilities. To this end, the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) prepared a report to address these issues and made recommendations for greater bilateral and regional cooperation and support to meet the challenges (Hayashi, 2019). Under the current demographic situation, it is perhaps more important than ever now to develop new models of care in the health field, such as an integrative approach to healthcare services and delivery, which can more efficiently and effectively accommodate the healthcare needs of a growing ageing population. To achieve this purpose, many countries have increasingly turned to ICTs, which provide opportunities and serve as enabling tools to solve their healthcare problems. Indeed, ICTs have become a critical catalyst for improving healthcare efficiencies and productivity. The uccessful transition towards healthcare digitalisation is, however, a challenging process that requires good vision, strategic planning, policies, and governance, which we discuss in the last section.