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The Challenges

Health & wellbeing are the foundation of happiness and a functioning society. In recent years substantial challenges have been impacting the healthcare ecosystem.

Sanusx Outline

  • Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

    “We need to realize that health is an investment in the future. We face shared threats and we have a shared responsibility to act. The next 10 years must be the ‘decade of action’.”

  • Dr. Michael Siegal, Mount Sinai Health System

    “Managing the future of healthcare as a philosophy while embracing disruption will consistently provide positive results in an environment where change is the only constant.”

  • Dr. Bertalan Meskó, Director of The Medical Futurist Institute

    “Healthcare in the 21st century is not undergoing a technological revolution but a ‘cultural transformation’.”

nurse holding the hands from an old womannurse holding the hands from an old womanMother and daughter smilingMother and daughter smilingholding hands from two peopleholding hands from two people

Aging
Population

Our population is getting older. According to the UN Population Division, the ‘elderly’ (those aged 65 and over) will account for over 31 percent of the EU population by 2030.

As a result of our aging population, comorbidities, chronic diseases and the need for professional care are widespread in our society. The treatment of these illnesses requires significant public and individual resources. Solution approaches need to include disease prevention measures and active aging programs for better health and higher quality of life. Providing a sufficient level of professional geriatric care such as 24/7 support combined with state of the art caring methods will be one of our major societal challenges.

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Chronic
Diseases

As life expectancy increases, so does the incidence of chronic diseases (+30% from 2000-2016). Today more than 1.2 million Europeans die prematurely from the consequences of chronic diseases – a humbling reminder that action is urgently needed.

To counteract this development, disease prevention and a personalised approach are key – primarily to prevent worst-case scenarios for patients, but also to avoid the staggering costs of chronic diseases. Today 80% to 90% of total healthcare related costs are associated with this form of illness. Experts estimate that the cumulative loss to the global economy could reach 47 billion dollars by 2030. At SanusX we aspire to contribute to solutions reducing the spread of chronic diseases and mitigating their devastating effects.

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Sad woman at the doctorSad woman at the doctortwo people hugingtwo people hugingman with mental health problems sitting on the bedman with mental health problems sitting on the bed

Mental
Health

Approximately 1 in 6 Europeans suffer from mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety disorders, and alcohol and drug abuse. While some experts are already talking about a mental health crisis, only a few of those affected seek the professional help of doctors and therapists. In 2020 21% of Austrian adults suffered from symptoms of depression, 19% from anxiety and 16% from clinical insomnia – but only 5–8% of Austrian mental health patients consulted a therapist over the last 12 months.

Besides the individual suffering, a 2018 OECD Report estimates associated costs for the EU28 at over 600 billion euros – or more than 4% of GDP. Already before the Corona pandemic severe increases in the number of people suffering from mental disorders were reported. COVID-19 will aggravate this development – particularly regarding alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide. In any case, mental health issues should not be taken lightly, but instead be a primary target for healthcare innovation.

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Under-
prioritization
of prevention

Our healthcare system was designed to treat acute diseases and restore people to health. Meanwhile, preventive measures are hugely under-prioritized even though they have significant potential to mitigate the onset of chronic diseases. Of the total healthcare costs of the OECD countries, only 3% is spent on maintaining health in the OECD member states. In contrast, 97% is spent on restoring health.

To maximize the impact of healthcare, there has to be a radical change of thinking towards a holistic approach equally encompassing illness prevention, acute treatment and health regeneration. The promotion of the enormous potential of preventive healthcare is an integral part of our SanusX solution strategy.

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