62% of UAE residents believe ensuring equal access to quality healthcare is a top priority for society in the next five years, according to 3M
Following the pandemic and the amazingly rapid response from the scientific community, SOSI data now shows that around the world, 97% of people believe that science can solve some of the biggest societal challenges. In the UAE that figure is 99%. Meanwhile, pre-pandemic in 2019, 42% of SOSI respondents globally who said they did not find science boring were interested in it because it was going to solve world issues.
Beyond the pandemic, when residents in the UAE were asked what four healthcare advances they thought science should prioritise, 54% said Vaccine for future pandemics must be a priority, while 50% said cures for chronic disease. Addressing mental health issues and addressing the root cause or social drivers to health issues was voted for equally by 48% of respondents.
“The pandemic put a spotlight on the state of healthcare and our latest State of Science Index shows a desire for urgent improvements to health equity,” said Laszlo Svinger, Vice-President and Managing Director MEA at 3M. “That means getting us all to a standardised level of health right across society. “Our data shows that residents in the UAE believe that personalized medicine (43%) and use of artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics and digital health records to track and improve patient health outcomes (43% vs. 33% globally) should be among the top healthcare advancements should science prioritize. As we look towards the future, 99% of residents want science to help solve our biggest societal challenges.”
