{"id":19884,"date":"2026-11-06T09:08:06","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T09:08:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/?p=19884"},"modified":"2026-11-06T09:08:06","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T09:08:06","slug":"southeast-asia-shouldnt-copy-the-u-s-healthcare-model-says-walgreens-boots-alliances-apac-head","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/?p=19884","title":{"rendered":"Southeast Asia shouldn\u2019t copy the U.S. healthcare model, says Walgreens Boots Alliance\u2019s APAC head"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The U.S. is the world\u2019s largest healthcare spender, pouring roughly 17% of its GDP\u2014or $5.6 trillion\u2014into treatments and care. Yet, according to Li Zhong, the APAC president of the Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), while Americans generally have a long lifespan, they have a shorter healthspan than their counterparts in Vietnam, despite the latter devoting just 4.6% of its GDP to health spending.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone loves to reference the U.S., since it has been able to come up with the most advanced therapies to extend life,\u201d Li said at Fortune\u2019s Southeast Asia 500 Summit in Vietnam\u2019s Ho Chi Minh City on Nov. 3. \u201cIt saves your life, but it\u2019s not very healthy. That\u2019s not what I would suggest for Southeast Asia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Li\u2019s comments come as Southeast Asia builds out its systems of care amid rising healthcare costs and a shortage of specialist doctors. \u201cEvery country is different and has to find its own route,\u201d he explained. \u201cWhat\u2019s not right is to automatically reference the U.S. model.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many Southeast Asian countries, like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, are also rapidly greying. And with that demographic trend comes a rise in chronic disease incidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scarcity of specialists is becoming a burden,\u201d admits David Utama, the president director of Indonesia\u2019s largest private hospital chain, Siloam Hospitals. \u201cIn Indonesia, the ratio of specialists is about 0.2 per 1,000 people. Neighboring Malaysia and Thailand are about 0.5, while Singapore sits at 1.2 [specialists per 1,000 people].\u201d<\/p>\n

More patient-centric<\/p>\n

To serve patient needs, Asia\u2019s healthcare operators are increasingly looking to community-based care. Singapore and Malaysia-headquartered IHH Healthcare, for instance, operates over fifty primary care clinics under their Parkway Shenton network, while offering ambulatory care, diagnostic and rehabilitative care facilities within residential neighborhoods.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Siloam Hospitals, too, is building more community health facilities in Indonesia. \u201cWe have about 41 hospitals across Indonesia, but we\u2019re now building an ecosystem of primary care clinics.\u201d (The firm\u2019s website shows that it currently has 25 clinics, spread across the cities of Palembang, Jakarta, Bali and Surabaya.)<\/p>\n

Pharmacies can also play a larger role, Li argued. He points to the UK\u2019s NHS Pharmacy First scheme, which allows patients in England to walk into participating Boots pharmacies for clinical assessments and treatment for seven common conditions, without needing a GP appointment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more cost-efficient to utilize community healthcare centers and pharmacies to help with everyday healthcare,\u201d Li explained. \u201cBut that\u2019s on the condition that we have to get our [pharmacists] well-trained.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, both experts agreed that public-private partnerships and emerging technology like AI are countries\u2019 best bets at enabling affordable, high-quality healthcare for its populace.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatient-centric healthcare requires a collaboration between governments and the private sector,\u201d said Utama. \u201cWho has access, who has scale, [it\u2019s] obviously the government\u2026 but the private sector helps to build capability, innovation and speed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since late-2025, Utama and Siloam Hospitals have also been investing in enterprise AI. He says the team will finish building the foundational layer of its AI platform by this year, and is now looking to build digital twins for its patients, doctors and hospitals.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us to leapfrog, we need to adopt technology,\u201d Utama concluded. \u201cToday, in our ICUs, because of the data analysis we do, we can predict 30 minutes before a patient drops. Previously, we could only react 30 minutes after a patient dropped.\u201d<\/p>\n

#Southeast #Asia #shouldnt #copy #U.S #healthcare #model #Walgreens #Boots #Alliances #APAC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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