ASGH 2025 Tackles Global Healthcare’s Core Challenges: Equity and Sustainability

The Asia Summit on Global Health (ASGH) 2025, launched with a critical focus on equity and sustainability in healthcare. These challenges—ensuring universal care access and maintaining systems that handle rising costs, aging populations, and chronic disease burdens—shape global health’s future. The opening plenary session explored real solutions through innovation, collaboration, and policy reform. These problems affect everyone. Equitable, sustainable systems impact access to affordable care, quality of life, and global economic stability.

The session brought together voices from government, academia, and industry. Key figures included Hong Kong’s Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau; Mr. Feng Haicang from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; and Professor Nancy Y. Ip, President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The discussion tackled healthcare access gaps, rising chronic disease burdens, and the urgent need for innovative policies supporting universal health coverage.

Why Equity and Sustainability Are Critical

Healthcare disparities and unsustainable systems are urgent global concerns. Millions lack access to basic medical services due to geographic, economic, or social barriers, while chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease strain resources. Aging populations, particularly in Asia and Europe, increase demand for long-term care, escalating costs. For example, in the U.S., national health expenditures are projected to grow 5.4% annually from 2022 to 2031, outpacing economic growth and reaching 20% of GDP by 2031. This trend highlights the need for sustainable financing models globally. These challenges create inequities, leaving vulnerable populations without care, and risk system collapse if costs become unmanageable. Discussions at ASGH 2025 drive cross-sector collaboration, sparking policies and technologies that bridge access gaps and ensure long-term viability, directly impacting the patient population by improving care affordability and availability.

Hong Kong’s Healthcare Model: Innovative Policies for Universal Access

Hong Kong’s healthcare system stands out for its efficiency and accessibility. Prof Lo Chung-mau highlighted its role as a safety net, stating, “Our public healthcare system serves as a safety net for all, providing universal health coverage with an overall subsidy rate of over 97% to ensure that no one is denied adequate medical treatment due to lack of means.” With a life expectancy of over 83 years for men and 88 for women, Hong Kong ranks among the highest globally. The system faces challenges, however, from an aging population and rising medical costs. These pressures demand reforms to maintain quality and affordability, which resonate with global audiences grappling with similar demographic shifts.

Blending Traditional and Western Medicine

One approach Hong Kong uses is blending traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with Western medical practices. Prof Lo said, “We have government-subsidized Chinese medicine clinics in all 18 districts in Hong Kong. Our elderly healthcare voucher also subsidizes Chinese medicine clinic services.” By 2025, Hong Kong will open its first 400-bed TCM hospital. The hospital aims to become a model for integrating TCM with Western medicine. It will also support cross-border collaboration in the Greater Bay Area, home to over 86 million people. A new TCM Testing Institute will set international standards for herbal medicine. This may influence global pharmaceutical practices. Integrating both systems expands treatment options. It also makes healthcare more inclusive and adaptable to diverse patient needs.

Innovation for Sustainable Healthcare

Innovation drives sustainable healthcare solutions. Hong Kong’s unique position as Asia’s world city with the institutional advantage of one country, two systems, gives unparalleled advantages in healthcare innovation. Supported by China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong is establishing a Center for Medical Products Regulation to streamline drug and medical device approvals, alongside a “one plus” mechanism that accelerates access to new treatments by requiring local clinical data and approval from one reference regulatory authority.

These initiatives align with global trends to reduce barriers to innovative therapies, ensuring faster access to life-saving drugs and devices. For example, the U.S. FDA’s Breakthrough Therapy Designation has expedited approvals for therapies like CAR-T cell treatments for cancer, cutting approval times by up to 50%. Similarly, the European Medicines Agency’s PRIME scheme has accelerated access to treatments like gene therapies for rare diseases, with 26% of 2023 approvals benefiting from this pathway. These efforts benefit patients by speeding up access to critical treatments, particularly for chronic and rare conditions, reducing delays that can impact outcomes.

Advancing Clinical Trials

The Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute, launched in 2024, leverages the region’s 86 million-strong population to conduct large-scale trials. This platform integrates clinical resources and data, speeding up treatment development. For readers, this translates to faster access to cutting-edge therapies, reducing inequities by ensuring innovations reach underserved populations.

Addressing Manpower and Systemic Sustainability

A sustainable health system requires sufficient healthcare professionals. Hong Kong addresses this through a multi-pronged strategy, including increasing university admissions and recruiting qualified non-local healthcare workers. The announcement of a third medical school, strategically located in the northern metropolis, aims to train doctors who prioritize patient care. Prof Lo emphasized, “Our fundamental goal is to train doctors who in every decision and every moment are fit to practice and put patients first.” This focus on workforce development ensures long-term system resilience, a concern for any region facing healthcare worker shortages.

Universities as Innovation Drivers in Healthcare

Universities bridge research and real-world solutions. Prof Nancy Y. Ip, President of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said, “Universities are global connectors, neutral platforms, and engines of innovation, uniquely positioned to bridge divides between disciplines, industries, and nations.” By integrating AI and digital health into curricula, universities develop tools like telemedicine, improving access in remote areas. HKUST startups have created FDA-approved apps for contactless vital sign monitoring, enhancing equity. These innovations benefit individuals by expanding access to care in underserved regions.

Similarly, France’s approach to universal health coverage, discussed during the session, faces similar challenges, including rising costs and an aging population. Strategies to train more healthcare professionals and balance primary, secondary, and tertiary care aim to maintain system sustainability. These efforts align with global goals to ensure no one is left behind, a principle echoed across the panel. This underscores the universal relevance of healthcare reform, as equitable systems reduce financial burdens and improve health outcomes.

Building a Collaborative Future

The session emphasized the importance of cross-sector and cross-border collaboration in solving universal healthcare challenges. These challenges include rising chronic disease rates, aging populations, and increasing economic disparities across the globe. Hong Kong plays a unique role as a neutral hub for global health diplomacy. It bridges East and West, promoting partnerships that drive innovation, health equity, and system resilience. France’s strategies include professional training and balancing primary, secondary, and tertiary care services. These efforts reflect a shared global commitment to sustaining universal health coverage. Professor Lo Chung-mau said, “We are not just participating in the future of global health. We are helping to shape it.” This statement inspires stakeholders worldwide to work together toward stronger, more inclusive healthcare systems. These discussions offer individuals worldwide hope for healthcare as a universal right. Achieving this vision depends on international cooperation and shared responsibility.

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Author

Bernice Lottering