- 62% of UAE residents say ensuring equal access to quality healthcare is a top priority for society in the next five years
- Following the pandemic and the amazingly rapid response from the scientific community, SOSI data now shows that around the world the overwhelming majority (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, they said:
- Vaccines for future pandemics (54%)
- Cures for chronic disease (50%)
- Addressing mental health issues (48%)
- Addressing the root causes/social drivers of health issues (48%)
Laszlo Svinger, Vice-President and Managing Director MEA at 3M commented: “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. 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.”