This is how Roche Diagnostics is paving the way to eradicate diseases in the Asia-Pacific region

“How They See It” is where we delve into the minds of those steering the ships of today’s most dynamic companies. In this instalment, we ask Lance Little about the work he does as the Head of the Asia Pacific Region for Roche Diagnostics, a leading Swiss multinational healthcare company. He shares the importance of diagnostics, especially in attaining health equity in the diverse Asia-Pacific region, and the importance of centering people and communities when improving healthcare. Click here for more interviews with business leaders.

Four years ago, the Covid-19 pandemic swarmed and slowed down the entire world. As the number of cases rose sharply, testing and diagnosis was a crucial part of tackling the disease. That way, individuals with the disease could isolate themselves and take the time necessary to recover. 

This stark global event showed how crucial medical diagnostics can be to health. By detecting symptoms earlier, we will be able to get the treatment we need much earlier. 

Recognising its importance, I see my role at Roche as being an advocate for diagnostics and the value it brings to patients and the wider healthcare community. I work with highly passionate and committed people to develop innovative solutions, creating tools and technologies that enable the early detection of diseases, to ultimately help healthcare providers make more accurate diagnoses.

Who cares about diagnostics?

First and foremost, many people don’t understand what diagnostics is. One misunderstanding about our work is that diagnostics are merely a support function or a precursor to treatment. 

In reality, diagnostics play a pivotal role in saving lives at every stage of a person's health journey. Having efficient and effective diagnostics not only supports patients and governments in saving lives but also reduces healthcare expenditure by intervening at crucial junctures. 

Think of it this way: it’s not just about identifying a disease, it's also about preventing it from worsening or, more importantly, detecting it before it manifests. 

Cervical cancer, for example, is the first cancer that we have the potential to eliminate in our lifetime. Having a comprehensive cervical cancer prevention program, with vaccines and screening, could avert 5.2 million cases and 3.7 million deaths over the lifetimes for Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) countries. 

Unfortunately, resource constraints, like tight budgets and insufficient policy setups, pose a big hurdle. And even though diagnostics determine over 70 per cent of clinical decisions, it receives only 2 per cent of healthcare spending. 

Diagnostics and the Asia-Pacific region

Diagnostics are also imperative for improving health equity which, according to the WHO, is determined by the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, play and age. Perfect health equity is achieved when everyone can attain their full potential for health and well-being. 

And while health equity is not a unique challenge to our region, the diversity here makes it uniquely challenging; after all, health systems in the APAC region service 4.3 billion people, or 60 per cent of the world’s population. 

Even then, the notion that diagnostics are central and fundamental to quality health care remains under-recognised, leading to underfunding and inadequate resources at all levels. This lack of resources may inadvertently contribute to the high incidence rate of diseases in APAC. 

The statistics are not encouraging. The APAC accounts for 62.6 per cent of global deaths for liver disease and 43 per cent of the world’s burden for tuberculosis, while Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) account for 35 per cent of deaths in our region. 

These challenges are only projected to get larger in scale. 

Combine the increasing number of people with Asia’s ageing population, the present lack of diagnostic capacity, and existing challenges in accessing medical care, and there emerges a slew of critical problems that need to be addressed before they intensify. 

Ergo, healthcare needs to evolve quickly to meet this increasing demand and ensure our delivery of care isn’t compromised. 

Diverse communities, diverse challenges

And despite having the capabilities, resources, and equipment, each APAC country faces unique barriers that prevent them from improving their medical care. Culture, societal and familial expectations, even a lack of education, and financial independence heavily impact the way people can take care of themselves. 

One example is how a lack of education and awareness contributes to myths and stigmas surrounding women’s health issues. Approximately 37 per cent of women believe that undergoing screenings for cervical cancer is shameful or embarrassing. 

This stigma can prevent women from seeking early detection and treatment, leading to adverse health outcomes for a preventable disease — remember, cervical cancer is a cancer we can eliminate in our lifetime.

It’s crucial, therefore, that we effectively engage communities and understand the unique environments in which they operate. In diagnostic care, creating this behavioural change leads to greater interest in routine screenings, increased patient compliance, and better trust in healthcare providers. 

But because of how diverse we are in APAC, there really is no “one size fits all” solution. Our solutions and partnerships must be tailor-made for the patient to integrate our health systems into these unique environments, while overcoming access barriers to healthcare.

Diverse solutions

Thankfully, it’s not all bleak. I found it helpful to focus on the things within our control, and to take stock of the impact we’ve had so far. 

For example, we’ve made significant progress in educating and providing cervical cancer screening for women across Asia-Pacific. Ten years ago, conversations around cervical cancer were very different from what it is today. 

In tandem with raising awareness and generating a behavioural change, we also have to address access to medical resources. After all, life-changing innovation is only meaningful if it reaches those who need it. 

To that end, Roche has partnered with governments across Asia-Pacific to help them implement cervical cancer screening on a national level — this helps governments achieve WHO's target of screening 70 per cent of eligible women with a high-performance test. Self-sampling provides this option for screening, reducing barriers for those who are more conservative or don’t have access to a clinic or hospital. 

Incremental successes

To me, success is making a tangible and lasting impact on global health. This encompasses improving diagnostic capabilities, advancing personalised medicine, and expanding access to healthcare, just as in the cervical cancer example.

Internally, it’s critical for me that we build a workforce that reflects the patients we serve, including at a leadership level. Our leadership team at the regional level has over 20 nationalities, and 41 per cent are women. 

Additionally, traditional hierarchical models in organisations need to be challenged and replaced by new structures and tools that are concrete but still flexible enough to navigate the complexities of the modern healthcare environment. 

My team and I work hard to consciously evolve our ways of working to meet the needs of our external environments and build the capabilities of our people. Having this proactive mindset, one where we’re constantly becoming better versions of ourselves, is crucial to ensure that we’re still contributing to our society long-term. 

It all comes back to people

To put it simply, while there will always be more to do, making innovations in healthcare accessible to patients everywhere provides a great sense of purpose for myself and everyone I work with. 

We’ve seen the value of testing during the Covid-19 pandemic, but a stark global event should not be the only reason to fund diagnostics. With improved technology and enhanced diagnostic testing, we have the ability to close these gaps and shift toward putting the needs of people and communities at the heart of care.

There’s an analogy I use often — imagine if we checked on our health as frequently as we check on our bank accounts. That shifts us from an “illness” to a “wellness” paradigm, and allows us to detect symptoms and therefore get the treatment we need much earlier. This reminds us of the huge responsibility we have in managing our health and the gap that currently exists.

We're talking about preventing global healthcare crises and stopping millions of preventable deaths right in their tracks. And to me, that's what really matters, because no matter what disease, everyone is entitled to receiving quality healthcare to enable them to live healthier, happier lives.

All stakeholders must work together to bring the voice of patients to the decision-making table to truly reshape the healthcare landscape. It will require close collaboration and cross-sector partnerships between policymakers, healthcare professionals, and patients to evoke much-needed change towards humanising care — one where the patient comes first.