Healthcare’s Competitive Future: From Reactive Systems to Economic Catalysts

09:00 - 09:30

Welcome and Registration

09:30 – 09:45

Opening Remarks

09:45 – 10:00

Opening Keynote — Health as a Catalyst for Productivity and Growth

Set the stage by making the case for health as a strategic imperative in national and the OECD’s economic agendas—including the early adoption and scale-up of medical innovation, prevention, and health system transformation to unlock productivity, fiscal sustainability, and competitiveness.

10:00 – 11:15

Panel 1 — Health Globally: A Strategic Lever for Productivity and Economic Resilience

In the face of converging global pressures—from aging populations to climate-linked health risks—there is growing consensus that health is not only a moral imperative but a smart investment. This panel draws on outcomes from the B7, B20, G20, and UNGA to explore how health can be reclassified as an economic enabler, anchoring workforce resilience, social stability, and fiscal sustainability. What lessons from global policy dialogues can the OECD’s member countries embed in their economic strategies?

11:15 – 11:35

Coffee Break

11:35 – 12:45

Panel 2 — The Rise of Predictive Health

This panel will explore how predictive tools—from AI-enabled diagnostics to behavioural science—can shift systems from reactive care to proactive, personalised prevention. Speakers will examine the economic and health impact of immunisation, physical activity, early detection, and prevention literacy, and the enabling environments needed to scale these innovations.

12:45 - 14:00

Networking Lunch

14:00 - 14:40

Fireside Discussion 1 — Health Systems and Population Health in a Changing Climate

This fireside discussion between a moderator, two experts and the audience will examine how health systems can address rising health needs associated with climate change while also decarbonizing to improve resilience and capitalise on potential benefits.

14:40 - 15:20

Fireside Discussion 2 — Future-Proofing the Health Workforce: Skills, Systems, and Scale

This fireside discussion between a moderator, two experts, and the audience will explore how to equip systems with the right talent, tools, and structures for long-term resilience. It will address how countries can close critical skills gaps, empower frontline professionals, and design agile, sustainable systems fit for innovation and prevention-first care. Linking workforce readiness to economic productivity, this discussion reinforces the imperative to invest in people as infrastructure for health and fiscal stability.

15:20 - 15:40

Coffee Break

15:40 - 16:50

Panel 3 — Financing Health Differently: Investing in Impact, Not Illness

This panel will explore fiscal innovations that reclassify health spending as investment—unlocking flexible funding tools, fostering co-investment with the private sector, and integrating health outcomes into national growth strategies. From impact bonds to prevention-led fiscal policies, how can finance ministries and health systems partner to reframe health as a productivity multiplier?

16:50 – 17:00

Concluding Remarks