Healthspan Is the New Lifespan (and Tech Agrees)

As our societal focus shifts from increasing our lifespan to increasing our ‘healthspan,’ as suggested in recent literature on longevity by Dr. Peter Attia and Bill Gifford in their book “Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity” and Dr. David Sinclair’s “Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To,” the questions arising around digital health emphasize technology’s ability to enable us to be better informed about our health, as well as better manage it – leading not only longer lives but also but also healthier and more productive years.

Recent years have reshaped our collective understanding of what prioritizing health and wellness means - for both individuals and entire communities. The digital health sector is welcoming a new wave of solutions and a paradigm shift to exploring increased access to healthcare, yet a reduced need for it – via improved health and lifestyles.

Global health spending accounts for 10.3% of global GDP – making the sector a core to societal well-being and ripe for transformative innovation.[1] Standing at the intersection of healthcare and technology, digital health is one of the most dynamic and impactful frontiers – reshaping the definition and delivery of care – to more personalized, preventative, affordable and efficient.

Since 2020, venture capital funding in digital health has reached an impressive $189 billion – almost 10% of venture’s total $1.9 trillion global funding. [2] This is a testament to the sector’s growth potential and its critical role in addressing healthcare's urgent challenges.

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) is central to healthcare’s urgent innovation needs. The system faces significant strain: only 1.7 physicians and 1.9 hospital beds are available per 1,000 people, compared to 3.3 and 4.8, respectively, in OECD markets. Sub-Saharan Africa, with only 0.2 physicians per 1,000 people, highlights the global disparity.[3]

MEA’s first wave of healthcare digitization was rapid. Since 2019, young demographics, increased internet connectivity and minimal legacy constraints – have laid foundations for the sector’s transformation. This era has been defined by innovations that significantly increased healthcare access, such as electronic health records, telehealth and e-pharmacies. Virtual consultations in Abu Dhabi are now c. 10% of outpatient consultations[4] – emphasizing digital health’s vast impact on access and connectivity.

That was just the beginning - proof that technology could power shifts from no healthcare access to basic access for some of the population; and that gaps in industries can be filled by technology, enabling the region to leapfrog. As technology tackles healthcare gaps -  rather than traditional hospital and clinic building - the ability to imagine and create further healthcare opportunities is unleashed. 

Digital health’s next phase will shift focus: from cure to prevention, lifespan to healthspan and from one-size-fits-all to personalized care, reducing needs for healthcare services. Chronic conditions account for 63% of global deaths, but 80% are preventable with lifestyle changes.[5] Instead of aiming solely to extend lifespans, this phase zeroes in on enhancing the quality of those years - by addressing chronic diseases, improving preventative care and wellness via personalized solutions and aligning different stakeholders in healthcare’s value chain.

MEA stands at a pivotal, leapfrog moment. A market unencumbered by legacy infrastructure, it can transition from a reactive, disease-treatment model to one of proactive, preventative care, avoiding the unsustainable healthcare cost escalations seen elsewhere.

A core asset - MEA’s young population - is imperative. This young and healthy demographic is also digitally savvy and open to lifestyle adaptations supporting longer health spans.  

Digital health’s next wave of solutions will leverage tech advances in software and hardware, building on the region’s vast data availability - making healthcare supply more:

1.     Preventative: AI’s impact on digital health was once unimaginable. Algorithms now reduce hours of disease diagnosis by predicting health risks early on. Years of clinical research can now be reduced to months. With medical sensors, digitized tools and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), digital health platforms enable proactive health management, tackling Non-Communicable Disease challenges and empowering clinicians and patients to enhance longevity and well-being. AI platforms enable more precise diagnostics via predictive analytics, enhancing individual care and facilitating systemic improvements in healthcare efficiency and efficacy.

2.     Personalized: Healthcare is inherently data-rich. Astonishingly, the sector generates 30% of global data, but 97% is unutilized.[6] Vast information and AI advances are key to revolutionizing healthcare delivery. Personalized care is becoming the new standard, changing from a traditional “one-size-fits-all” approaches. Hyper-personalization leverages data to create tailored solutions meeting individuals’ unique needs in preferences, convenience and healthcare.

3.     Participatory: Patients are more informed and involved in their health journeys. Monitoring tools and real-time data access means active engagement and a shared decision-making culture. Patients are active, not passive, in treatment plans. A further complement is a greater focus on verticalized healthcare. As stigma wanes and awareness grows, digital platforms empower individuals to take charge of their mental well-being via mood tracking tools and cognitive behavioural therapy, and AI software now recognizes pauses or tonality changes perhaps signalling distress. 

However, healthcare challenges go beyond supply. MENA healthcare costs fall disproportionately on households, with 40% paid out-of-pocket (OECD countries: 14%).[7] Alignment within the patient-payer-provider trifecta through value-based care (VBC), fintech and insurtech solutions is transforming these dynamics, ensuring affordability and sustainability in care delivery. By integrating fintech with healthcare systems, startups can unlock efficiencies, improve health outcomes and reduce patients’ financial burdens.

The healthcare evolution journey is far from over. Digital health’s evolution will unfold further – redefining possibilities for providers, payers and patients. In regions like MEA, the potential to leapfrog traditional healthcare challenges through technology is immense – superseding lifespan extensions into enriching healthspans.

As investors and stakeholders, we have an opportunity to support entrepreneurs leveraging these transformative technologies. By addressing local challenges with globally scalable solutions, these innovators are not just improving lives, but shaping healthcare’s future.

[1] WEF

[2] CB Insights

[3] World Bank

[4] WAM

[5] PubMed

[6] WEF

[7] World Bank