The digital surge in health care

VAST, BUREAUCRATIC and amorphous, health care has long been cautious about change. However, the biggest emergency in decades has caused a revolution. From laboratories to operating theatres, the industry’s metabolism has soared, as medical workers have scrambled to help the sick. Hastily and often successfully, they have improvised with new technologies. Their creativity holds the promise of a new era of innovation that will lower costs, boost access for the poor and improve treatment. But to sustain it, governments must stop powerful lobbies from blocking the innovation surge when the pandemic abates.

Covid-19 has led to the spectacular development of vaccines using novel mRNA technologies. But there have also been countless smaller miracles as health workers have experimented to save lives (see article). Obsolete IT-procurement rules have been binned and video-calls and voice-transcription software adopted. Machines are being maintained remotely by their makers. With patients stuck at home, doctors have rushed to adopt digital monitoring of those recovering from heart attacks. Organisational silos have been dismantled. All this has taken place alongside a boom in venture-capital-raising for medical innovation: $8bn worldwide in the most recent quarter, double the...