Prevention is better than cure: Can preventive healthcare save Europe's health systems?

The phrase 'prevention is better than cure' dates back to the 1500s. Public health has come a long way in that time, but the journey has only just begun. The gap between the highest and lowest average life expectancy in Europe remains over 12 years. \r\nWith the global population expected to hit 8.5 billion by the end of the decade, and health systems creaking at the seams, prevention is vital to keeping health systems going. Prevention can only ever be the first stage of the cycle, but ensuring it's the first thought in mind is key to wider adoption. Yet, who pays for it? There's a budget balance to be struck between the high cost of preventative programmes in the here and now on already strained budgets, vs the long-term cost savings. Still, McKinsey estimates that prioritising prevention in Europe could reduce the health burden by 30% over the next two decades.\r\nThe gap between the highest and lowest average life expectancy in Europe is over 12 years - what can we learn from one another to bridge this? And how can we manage the wider macro-economic themes that influence healthier populations?