This article originally appeared in the Bangkok Post.

As health has moved to front-page news, the discussion is no longer just about the cost of care. It is about health as an investment. Healthy life years are the new currency of growth and prosperity. What's the evidence? Countries with the most healthy life years are also the most competitive, as demonstrated by the Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The fact is we are living longer but we are not living healthier. For every year-increase in life expectancy, we live only 0.8 years in a healthy state. And when individuals live longer in a state of disability, it adds up to big costs for companies and economies. Globally, if no action is taken, we will lose US$47 trillion of cumulative economic output between 2012 and 2030 because of the impact of non-communicable diseases (NCD’s) and mental disorders.

Read the full article at the Bangkok Post.