Israel proudly hosted this year’s Global Wellness Summit, and rightly so, as it celebrated a record-breaking £21.8bn ($25bn, €24.9bn) year for its tech sector. The country is predominantly known for innovations in security and fintech, but it also has a reputation for health tech. This year alone, 130 start-ups are focused on women, most of which are in health and wellness.
Israel has developed a strong eco-system for innovation, while also advocating for systemic change and action. It believes the public and private sectors should be working together, and is why Israel’s largest hospital, Sheba Medical Center, is collaborating with the UAE’s APEX National Investment on tech-driven healthcare solutions.
Systemic change and policy action was also front of mind for the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) team this year. At the summit, the organisation’s research fellowship unveiled its new report: Defining Wellness Policy. The report moves away from the non-profit organisation’s conventional industry overview and instead presents a compelling case for why wellness policy is essential for governments and businesses. It aims to build a common language and framework around three key areas – wellness efficacy: is all of this spending making people well?; wellness equity and justice: is wellness a right or a privilege?; and wellness of people and planet: can we be well if the planet is not well?
Following the launch of this report, GWI will release a series of toolkits that address seven domains of wellness: physical activity, healthy eating, mental wellness, traditional and complementary medicine, wellness in the built environment, wellness at work, and wellness in tourism.
Strategic opportunity
Governments, institutions, brands and businesses should not be siloed, but should adopt a collaborative, cooperative and collectivist approach to achieve the goal of wellness for all. Consider how to work with public, private, non-profit and community stakeholders