Healthcare’s accelerated innovation
by Asgar Rangoonwala, Senior Vice President, Johnson & Johnson EMEA Emerging Markets
Johannesburg, March 2025 – The healthcare industry is on the brink of radical transformation such as we’ve never experienced before. And as medical technology advances, healthcare is extending its scope beyond simply arriving at medicinal solutions but also into redefining the very possibilities of healthcare. As we innovate, we must confront an often-overlooked issue: that of unmet medical needs. These are conditions for which treatment options are either scarce or presently non-existent. We need to challenge these roadblocks, not as insurmountable realities, but challenges that must be overcome, in the interest of improving patient outcomes.
Addressing these gaps isn’t only about finding new treatments, however, as technical advancement for its own sake is a hollow victory. We need to ensure that these treatments reach all those who are in need. Scientific breakthroughs are meaningless without robust support systems. To this end, we must engage with existing infrastructures, creating and maintaining partnerships between healthcare providers, governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the private sector. Only by maintaining an ongoing culture of commitment, focus and cooperation can we hope to build sustainable healthcare ecosystems that have a wide and effective outreach. The patient’s experience is our foremost concern, and that must always inform the journey.
These alliances or collaborative efforts between various role players will facilitate the dissemination and delivery of innovative technologies and medicines, in order that quality care reaches not only urban centres, but also rural areas and underserved populations around the globe. We must eliminate those barriers that preclude patients from effective medical assistance because of their socioeconomic status or outlying geographic location. Equity in healthcare is not a luxury but a necessity, and technology can close these gaps.
The definition of innovation when it comes to healthcare, goes beyond pushing the boundaries of what medicine can achieve, but also ensures that these groundbreaking therapies and healthcare solutions are made accessible to all. This philosophy should also inform the policy discussions around affordability, sustainability, and patient-centred care.
Communication and education are critical components of this process, and there are strategies in place for that. As new treatments are introduced, we must also ensure that there is commensurate education and training, as ongoing support is essential in the pursuit of seamless integration across all levels of healthcare. We must help clinicians in underdeveloped areas to embrace the notions of digital tools, telemedicine, and electronic health records. Of course, the movement of ideas and data will need to be bidirectional. Healthcare providers must engage in so-called ‘Evidence-Based Practice’. This means evaluating the new treatments and technologies, providing feedback, participating in clinical trials, and also keeping informed about similar feedback from their peers around the world. And through all these processes, innovation must always be balanced by ethical guidelines regarding patient safety, privacy, and informed consent.
Through all these technical and logistical endeavours, we must always be mindful that, at the heart of all these efforts are our patients and improving their experience and outcomes. Whether through advanced diagnostics, personalized treatments, or digital health solutions, the goal should always be to enhance patient care, making it more effective and tailored to individual needs. It will give me great satisfaction to see more patients being empowered to take active roles in their health journey.
Innovation is our lifeblood. It’s what fuels discoveries that transform theoretical possibilities into tangible realities. By pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in medicine, we develop novel therapies, precision medical approaches, and sophisticated diagnostic tools. In short, we’re creating new types of treatments, but also discovering new ways of approaching disease. And as we apply these energies and disciplines, we hope, in turn, to encourage a culture of continuous improvement, greater confidence and resilience, within the healthcare sector at large.
As science progresses, we must be guided by creativity, compassion, and a commitment to equity. Our policies and practices should inspire and lead to expanded access to medical care, and crucially, to life-saving treatments. This vision for a future where healthcare is accessible and equitable is not just aspirational. It is, in my view and that of this organisation, a necessity.