Healthcare Must Shift to Proactive Care to Secure Longer, Healthier Lives

Riyadh – Healthcare systems around the world must urgently evolve from reactive treatment models to proactive prevention strategies if societies are to achieve longer, healthier lives, according to senior leadership at the Hevolution Foundation.

Princess Dr. Haya bint Khaled bin Bandar Al Saud, Senior Vice President of Research at Hevolution, emphasized that prevention-focused healthcare is no longer optional but essential for global well-being and economic resilience.

Speaking during the launch of the foundation’s second Global Healthspan Report in Riyadh, she highlighted that modern medicine must move beyond responding to illness and instead focus on delaying or preventing disease altogether.

She stressed that this transformation should begin early, particularly in the education and training of healthcare professionals, ensuring that prevention and healthy aging are embedded as core medical priorities.

Equally important, she noted, is raising public awareness so individuals understand that healthspan science directly affects everyone, regardless of geography, income, or background.

The Global Healthspan Report calls for coordinated international action to position healthy aging as both a social responsibility and an economic imperative that supports productivity and sustainable growth.

Healthspan science, which focuses on extending the years people live in good health rather than simply increasing lifespan, is emerging as a defining frontier in global healthcare innovation.

The report identifies five key forces shaping this new era, including rising public awareness, scientific breakthroughs, artificial intelligence and data transformation, growing investment momentum, and urgent economic and policy considerations.

While momentum is building, the findings make clear that progress will require strong leadership and collaboration among scientists, policymakers, investors, and public institutions worldwide.

Princess Dr. Haya underlined that healthspan investments must serve the broader public, ensuring that scientific advancements translate into accessible benefits rather than remaining limited to select populations.

Survey data across 23 countries revealed that awareness of healthspan is rapidly increasing, with two-thirds of healthcare professionals now receiving regular patient inquiries about preventive and longevity-focused interventions.

At the same time, the report highlights growing expectations for government involvement, with 80 percent of citizens believing preventive healthcare programs should be publicly funded.

Concerns about inequality remain, as nearly four in ten respondents expressed worry that access to healthspan innovations may not be evenly distributed across societies.

Artificial intelligence is expected to play a transformative role, with a majority of experts believing it will significantly reshape healthspan research and healthcare delivery in the coming years.

However, ethical concerns and trust gaps persist, particularly around the use of AI in diagnostics, signaling the need for transparent regulation and public engagement.

From an investment perspective, healthspan funding has accelerated rapidly, with global investments more than doubling in recent years as confidence in the field matures.

Investment in healthspan reached more than $7 billion in 2024, reflecting strong belief in its potential to deliver both health outcomes and long-term economic returns.

Hevolution Foundation has positioned itself as a global leader in this space, committing hundreds of millions of dollars to research grants, partnerships, and biotechnology ventures.

According to the report, expanding preventive care and healthspan innovation could generate up to $220 billion annually in productivity gains, with every dollar invested in prevention yielding significant returns.

Founded to extend healthy human lifespan for all, Hevolution continues to advance independent research, entrepreneurship, and global collaboration from its headquarters in Riyadh and its international hubs.