Health Summit to cover 'Economic Benefits of Investing in Health'

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It plans to make a powerful case for the economic benefits of investing in health with a new WISH Research Forum during its 2016 conference. It will present groundbreaking, evidence-based research during the 'Economic Benefits of Investing in Health' Forum that will show the impact of improved health on personal and national income.

Dean Jamison, an Emeritus Professor in Global Health Sciences at The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), will chair the forum. The research will build on the landmark 'Global Health 2035' report by the Lancet Commission on Investing in Health.

Commenting on the launch of the research, Forum Chair Prof Jamison said, "The WISH economic benefits Forum for 2016 provides a first ever effort to integrate the three key dimensions of health's economic input - the contribution of improved health to personal and national income, the intrinsic value of health improvements and the financial protection value of UHC. This Forum is a natural follow-on to the 2015 Forum on UHC."

The new research ties in directly with the discussion started at the WISH 2015 Universal Health Coverage Forum, which helped guide policymakers on national health investments and pathways to achieving universal health coverage.

Commenting on the announcement, WISH's Chair Lord Ara Darzi said, "As we stressed at WISH this year, access to effective, quality healthcare without fear of financial struggle, is a basic human right. With more than one billion people around the world deprived of access to even basic healthcare services, we are determined to use the upcoming Summit to accelerate progress towards a grand convergence in global health."

Other research forums

The WISH 2016 Summit will feature six groundbreaking research forums that highlight and address some of the world's most pressing healthcare challenges. In addition to the Economic Benefits of Investing in Health, the forums will generate interdisciplinary, evidence-based reports on topics including Autism, Behavioural Insights, Cardiovascular Disease, Healthy Populations, and Precision Medicine, and will be chaired by internationally renowned experts. For the first time, WISH will also report on its ongoing impact locally and globally on issues previously highlighted at WISH, such as Diabetes, Accountable Care, and Patient Safety.

In addition to new health policy research forums, the Summit will also feature innovation showcases from around the world that are shaping the design, delivery, and financing of care, as well as a cohort of young innovators; emerging health care leaders under the age of 30, whose contributions to global health deserve wider recognition.

For more information, go to www.wish-qatar.org.