The SDGs are universal, mutually dependent and reflect a balance of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental.

Part of the mission of Pharma & Healthcare is to improve patients lives and help them as much as they possibly can, expedite and amplify patient access to therapies at all ages and nations.

The SDGs are an opportunity for Pharma & Healthcare to create value and improve the standards of care

In Pharma & Healthcare, an unrivalled change is taking place, causing new challenges and opportunities to create value and improve the standards of care:

• Budgetary pressures are impacting healthcare systems globally, leading to an increased focus on creating value across the entire healthcare scope, including preventive solutions.
• Measure and reward systems are being based increasingly on the patient outcome instead of volume.
• New data- and technology entrants are causing market disruptions by delivering technology-enabled patient-centric solutions.
• Regulatory compliance is becoming more complex due to the broader aspects of healthcare solutions, including technology standards and data & security.

The Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry need to be part of the solution

Most importantly, assessing and managing these challenges and transforming these challenges into opportunities requires the Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry. The industry can support and reframe the way Payers, Healthcare Professionals, and Patients think about and act upon their key issues.

The challenges of stakeholders to define and transform to sustainable care

While all stakeholders do realise that the future of healthcare requires a joint effort, no one is taking the initiative to form a coalition or to define a transition plan:

• The HCPs’ day-to-day practice limits their time and resources to efficiently unlock and use available data to define and improve the standards of care.
• Healthcare insurers focus on financial sustainability while serving a growing population and healthcare demand.
• Pharma companies are pushed back on prices by payers who demand evidence for value.
• Digitally empowered and increasingly informed patients are playing a more active role in their treatment.
• Projects are conducted in isolation by different stakeholders without clear communication lines and a clearly defined holistic goal.
• Projects do not deliver the optimal contribution to the desired “beyond the product” improvements of the standards of care.
• No one takes the initiative to form a coalition to define a transition plan to improve standards of care.

The SDG’s are an opportunity for Pharma & Healthcare to improve the standards of care and create shared value. We see social demands, market potential and policy action coming together for:

• Preventive healthcare: to improve population health and well-being through increased preventive action.
• Universal health coverage: to achieve universal access to free or affordable healthcare including people on low incomes in the low-, middle- and high-income countries.
• Resilient healthcare: to become resilient to shocks and changes arising from climate change, environmental stress, population growth, fragility, antimicrobial resistance, and increasing morbidity from ageing populations and unhealthy lifestyles.
• Environmentally sustainable healthcare: to invest in resource-efficient buildings, production processes, logistics and services which reduce the environmental footprint of healthcare products and services.

SDGs are the source of business value

The SDGs are addressing social needs and challenges while also generating bottom-line value. Research shows that the SDGs have the potential to unlock significant business opportunities globally worth USD 12 trillion by 2030 and 380 million new jobs:

• The SDGs help to realise business growth by redefining existing markets and creating new markets (examples to be added).
• The SDGs help to improve ROI by reducing costs and environmental impact.
• The SDGs help to enhance organisational performance. Organisations with a sustainable core create dynamic and diverse working environments.
• The SDGs help to reduce risks and comply with local legislation.

SDGs unlock the potential of your organisation and stakeholders in the healthcare system:

• SDGs are realised with the involvement of all stakeholders
• SDGs are integrated into the organisational culture.
• SDGs are part of the strategy and processes.
• SDGs are supported by the board (long term).

The impact of SDGs is measurable:

• The impact of the Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry on the healthcare system is measured based on agreed KPIs.
• SDGs are translated to success measures across the organisational disciplines.

Systemic change

There are no ready-made step-by-step plans to design, implement and execute an SDG-led strategy for your organisation. It’s a more fundamental change that affects the functions of a broader system in your organisation.

It is an uncertain journey, the ultimate goal of which is not always known in advance. Think of it as an expedition. Undertaking an expedition requires the correct attitude of the expedition members. They have to be creative, help each other, and be able to deal with uncertainty.

Been Management Consulting supports this expedition. We guide leaders and employees during the search, we give courage and confidence, and we help to devise and realise possible options and scenarios.

For more information, please contact Edwin Dissel at edwin.dissel@beenmc.com.