Tom Peters urges healthcare industry to shift focus to patient health and well being

"The medical community needs to shift its focus
from the 'fix it' mindset to the 'prevent it' mindset and aim for the patient wellness-healing-health cycle," he said.

Peters pointed out the significant difference between healthcare and the health paradigm that includes wellness and prevention. "Patients not only need to get well faster but we also need to enable them to stay well longer. Diet, extreme exercise, meditation, medical supplements and a teetotaler lifestyle would go a long way in disease prevention. There is a need to integrate complementary and alternative practices into conventional care," he said.

"Only a fraction of patients can afford quality healthcare services around the world. We need to provide a higher quality of healthcare to a much larger number of people than we do at present. This is where Dubai can play a major role by providing a large number of services to positively impact regional health," Peters said while outlining the role of Dubai as a global center of excellence in healthcare delivery.

Firmly advocating evidence-based medical practice by quoting various sources, he called for restructuring it in line with opportunities afforded by broadband, multimedia and electronic medical records.

Touching upon the future of the healthcare industry, Peters said that the GRIN factor (Genetics, Robotics, Information and Nanotech) will predominate. He also expressed his concern that the effects of avian flu could be devastating.

"It is indeed an honour for me to know the views of such a respected and unconventional thinker as Tom Peters. His address at the Leaders in Healthcare Seminar at Arab Health 2006 was well received by a distinguished assembly of well known names from amongst the regional medical fraternity," concluded John Hassett, Exhibition Director.