Healthcare

The World Health Organization's 1st foresight report, “Imagining the Future of Pandemics and Epidemics”, attempts to explore what the future of infectious threats might look like, using a short time horizon (3-5 years) to encourage immediate action. Inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, the report sets out possible scenarios which are not predictions of the future, but instead invite us to imagine the different directions that the current and future pandemics might take and to expand the range of plausible futures. The scenarios are an opportunity to identify possible risks and solutions, discuss implications and propose actions aimed at preventing the occurrence or mitigating the impact of the current and future infectious threats.

COVID-19 hit the long-term care sector hard. This brief looks at mortality rates in care homes, as well as the policy responses undertaken during the pandemic. The brief assesses the emergency preparedness of the sector and highlights the lessons learned, including policies to reduce isolation, testing strategies, care workforce and co-ordination with the health care sector.

Scientific and technological advances in medicine promise to transform health and healthcare to become much more connected, precise and democratized, with significantly improved human outcomes. To comprehend the scope of scientific and technological breakthroughs and their potential impact on healthcare provision, the 2016-2018 Global Future Council on the Future of Health and Healthcare prepared this report to serve as a key resource in understanding the effect of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on health and medicine. The report seeks to characterize how this revolution will affect us in the coming decades and to discuss the societal implications and governance of key emerging technologies related to health and healthcare.

By 2050, the world is expected to generate 3.40 billion tonnes of waste annually, increasing drastically from today’s 2.01 billion tonnes. What a Waste presents national and urban waste management data from around the world and highlights the need for urgent action. The publication provides a snapshot on how waste generation and management varies across income levels and regions, and shares good practices globally. Solid waste management is one of the most important urban services, yet it is complex and expensive, accounting for approximately 20% of municipal budgets in low-income countries and 10% of municipal budgets in high-income countries. Costly and complex waste operations must compete for funding with other priorities such as clean water and other utilities, education, and healthcare. Waste management is often managed by local authorities with limited resources and limited capacities in planning, contract management and operational monitoring. These factors make sustainable waste management a complicated proposition on the path of economic development and most low and middle-income countries and their cities are struggling to address the challenges. Waste management data is critical to creating policy and planning for the local context. Understanding how much waste is generated—especially with rapid urbanization and population growth—as well as the types of waste being generated allows for local governments to select appropriate management methods and plan for future demand. It allows governments to design a system with a suitable number of vehicles, establish efficient routes, set targets for diversion of waste, track progress, and adapt as consumption patterns change. With accurate data, governments can realistically allocate budget and land, assess relevant technologies, and consider strategic partners for service provision such as the private sector or non-governmental organizations. The publication strives to provide the latest and most realistic information available to empower citizens and governments around the world to take action and address the pressing global crisis of waste.