Oct 5, 2026 · 56 min · 12 segments
The Global Self-Care Federation has updated its analysis of the health, social and economic value of self-care, using data from 155 countries. Savings to health systems are up 21% to around $144bn a…
David RidleyHost
But maybe, Ben, you could just give us a little bit of background to the project and-
Um, I guess when we think back to 2021 when this was first discussed, what we were wanting to do was generate a global view on the health, social, and economic value of self-care using non-prescription medicines, and that was for the first time.
So at that point, we knew there were a number of very good and valuable studies from countries, but they were generally all from higher income countries.
They used different methodologies, so when we looked to them globally, we weren't finding a way to easily consolidate things to a single source.
So in order for GSCF to be engaging internationally and globally with key health policymakers and others, we needed something that was kind of more holistic in geographic terms.
Um, and that's why we commissioned the health economists at Mayo Bower to undertake the first global study with us using a methodology that they subsequently had published.
So I guess that first study provided us with a valuable common global data set to engage with external health stakeholders, and that showed self-care delivering value across all countries and all income levels.
So it showed what you might call the triple win of self-care, the benefits to individuals, the benefits to society, and the benefits to health systems.
But as well as providing that kind of global baseline in 2022, it did project, uh, what self-care benefits could look like moving forward to 2030.
So kind of last year, we started thinking about this at GSCF again, and it seemed like the right time to revisit the study to see if there was progress happening.
But also to look at that through the lens of how things have changed related to health system changes post-pandemic.
We know that there are the ongoing shortages of healthcare professionals, rising disease burden.
Um, but I think perhaps hand over to Greg for the, the second part of that one around the what, what did we see this time versus last time? What's changed? What surprised us?
You know, it's always good to update something after, you know, f- four to five years.
Um, but there is also, as, as Ben was saying, there has been some significant changes in, um, not just global healthcare, but how that is in regional and national levels towards, um, moving away from just looking at treatment to looking at prevention, um, to looking at, um, and this comes very much from the pandemic, uh, building on, um, what was clearly a lot of, m- more of self-management, which can translate into self-care, and also a growing role, I think, of the pharmacist and people's awareness also of, uh, the importance of self-management and, um- Understanding their diseases.
But maybe, Ben, you could just give us a little bit of background to the project and-
Um, I guess when we think back to 2021 when this was first discussed, what we were wanting to do was generate a global view on the health, social, and economic value of self-care using non-prescription medicines, and that was for the first time.
So at that point, we knew there were a number of very good and valuable studies from countries, but they were generally all from higher income countries.
They used different methodologies, so when we looked to them globally, we weren't finding a way to easily consolidate things to a single source.
So in order for GSCF to be engaging internationally and globally with key health policymakers and others, we needed something that was kind of more holistic in geographic terms.
Um, and that's why we commissioned the health economists at Mayo Bower to undertake the first global study with us using a methodology that they subsequently had published.
So I guess that first study provided us with a valuable common global data set to engage with external health stakeholders, and that showed self-care delivering value across all countries and all income levels.
So it showed what you might call the triple win of self-care, the benefits to individuals, the benefits to society, and the benefits to health systems.
But as well as providing that kind of global baseline in 2022, it did project, uh, what self-care benefits could look like moving forward to 2030.
So kind of last year, we started thinking about this at GSCF again, and it seemed like the right time to revisit the study to see if there was progress happening.
But also to look at that through the lens of how things have changed related to health system changes post-pandemic.
We know that there are the ongoing shortages of healthcare professionals, rising disease burden.
Um, but I think perhaps hand over to Greg for the, the second part of that one around the what, what did we see this time versus last time? What's changed? What surprised us?
You know, it's always good to update something after, you know, f- four to five years.
Um, but there is also, as, as Ben was saying, there has been some significant changes in, um, not just global healthcare, but how that is in regional and national levels towards, um, moving away from just looking at treatment to looking at prevention, um, to looking at, um, and this comes very much from the pandemic, uh, building on, um, what was clearly a lot of, m- more of self-management, which can translate into self-care, and also a growing role, I think, of the pharmacist and people's awareness also of, uh, the importance of self-management and, um- Understanding their diseases.
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