Breast cancer, eye disease to drain $180b from 11 APAC economies

The region's health systems have limited capacity to absorb the strain.

HER2-positive breast cancer and two retinal diseases will cost 11 Asia-Pacific economies an estimated $180b in lost productivity over the decade to 2027, a study found.

According to research by the WifOR Institute,  the retinal conditions are neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular oedema.

The findings were highlighted in a recent World Economic Forum report. The annual cost of each condition is projected to rise by close to a third between 2023 and 2027.

A separate survey of more than 4,300 adults over 40 across eight Asia-Pacific markets found that 46% expected vision loss to limit their ability to keep working.

Amongst caregivers of people with vision impairment, 95% reported significant challenges and one in four reported income loss.

National statistics capture unpaid work such as childcare and eldercare far less consistently than paid work, and it falls mostly on women, the article says.

In multigenerational homes, grandparents, spouses and adult children absorb the load when a relative falls ill, often by cutting their own paid hours.

The region's health systems have limited capacity to absorb the strain, as Bain & Company noted that the region holds 60% of the world's population but accounts for 22% of global healthcare spending.

Emerging Asia-Pacific markets average roughly 1.6 doctors per 1,000 people, falling to about 0.9 excluding China, against a World Health Organisation-recommended minimum of 2.5.

The article points to returns on prevention. “Every $1 invested in eye health in low- and middle-income countries returns an estimated $28, whilst the WHO estimates early diagnosis and comprehensive treatment of breast cancer can return up to $7.80 per $1,” the report said.

The report suggested that governments should weigh the multi-year benefits of keeping people healthy rather than judging interventions on annual budgets.

Assessments should add productivity and caregiver time to clinical benefit and cost, where credible evidence exists. National measures should also bring unpaid care into the numbers.