Doctor innovation: Shaking up the health system is an Economist Intelligence Unit report, commissioned by Philips, the second in a series of four to be published in 2009. The Economist Intelligence Unit bears sole responsibility for the content of this report. The findings and views expressed within do not necessarily reflect the views of Philips. 

Fixing healthcare is an Economist Intelligence Unit report commissioned by Philips, the first in a series of four to be published in 2009. The Economist Intelligence Unit bears sole responsibility for the content of this report. The findings and views expressed within do not necessarily reflect the views of Philips.

The Economist Intelligence Unit was commissioned by the Lien Foundation, a Singaporean philanthropic organisation, to devise a "Quality of Death" Index to rank countries according to their provision of end-of-life care.

From silver to gold: The impact of Japan’s ageing population is an Economist Intelligence Unit report, commissioned by GE. The Economist  Intelligence Unit bears sole responsibility for the content of this report. The findings and views expressed within do not necessarily reflect the views of GE.

Healthcare systems are complex, enormous and unwieldy, whether they are state-managed monoliths such as the UK’s, or dominated by the private insurance sector, as in the US. They are traditionally slow to adapt to change, but now those immovable objects are being forced to confront not just one, but several irresistible forces: demographic (ageing populations), epidemiological (increasing incidence of chronic diseases), technological (more expensive drugs and technologies) and economic (global recession, high public debt, smaller pensions).

That the world’s population is ageing rapidly is old news. Driven by falling fertility rates and a sustained increase in longevity, many countries—especially in the developed world—are now bracing themselves for the fact that their fastest-growing demographic is the over-80s. Moreover, the linear trend that life expectancies have followed for over a century is set to continue.

The findings and views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the sponsor.

It might be said of British governments that if they didn’t inherit a National Health Service (NHS) that is free at the point of delivery, they wouldn’t choose to create one. Such is the difficulty of satisfying public demand for quality healthcare services at a manageable cost. Never in the 61-year history of the NHS has solving this quandary been as challenging as it will prove to be over the coming years.