Dr Julian Fleming, Mediclinic International

Health has never been more front-of-mind than it is today. From fitness gurus on YouTube to incredible breakthroughs around medical innovation, its impact is evident everywhere. Investment trends back this perception: since 2020, nearly $23 billion has been invested into healthcare technology development, according to Deloitte’s ‘Road to Next’ report. Data is a crucial channel for this innovation, powered by greater access and elasticity to computing resources through cloud systems.

But getting to the desired outcomes is complicated, says Rodney Koch, principal partner at KDA Management Consultancy. “ The first three hurdles come from the context of healthcare. First is the burden of disease. The second is the structure of our healthcare system. Third is the regulatory framework and the potential future developments in healthcare policy. And there are four main components that I believe are very necessary to move forward: data capture technologies, communication and knowledge transfer technologies, consumer health technologies, and AI and robotics.”