Earlier today, Medtronic Chairman and CEO Geoff Martha participated in a panel at the virtual Davos Agenda 2021, sponsored by the World Economic Forum. The topic: today’s new realities and how to build crisis-resistant healthcare systems in a post-COVID world.​ Martha was joined by Marc Harrison, President and CEO of Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare; Francis deSouza, President and CEO of biotech company Illumina; and Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Key takeaways from the panel:

• “We’ve seen, in the response (to the pandemic), how important universal access to services is,” Clark said. “If you don’t have it and you’re faced with circumstances like these, the most marginalized will miss out. That will then impact the whole society, because none of us are safe until all of us are safe.” ​
   
• “This pandemic has highlighted that a deep and effective partnership between public, private, and not-for-profit sectors are essential for successful global health,” deSouza said. “The private sector brings a number of things to the equation, specifically innovation especially around technology, agility around deploying that technology, expertise, and also just experience.”
   
• “As we move forward, we’re talking about continuing to improve outcomes, continuing to lower costs, and at the same time improve access,” said Martha. “Technology is really the only way you can do this— [to address] what seem to be diametrically opposed forces. Technology has to be part of the answer.”

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Watch a replay of the panel below.

Next: The doctor will see you now, please.