Aging populations, a rise in chronic disease, and workforce shortages are driving an increased demand for health care. Against this backdrop, Bayer stresses the potential of self-care to improve health outcomes, expand access to care, and reduce pressure on health systems when it is effectively integrated.
Self-care practices can deliver significant economic benefits.
The company supported a recent report by Economist Enterprise, “Making self-care work: integrating self-care into health systems.” This publication cites evidence that self-care practices can deliver around US$179 billion in annual economic benefits while helping countries move toward universal health coverage.
Bayer’s Consumer Health division is exploring the report’s findings and the future of self-care. Daniella Support, SVP and global head for Market Access, Sustainability, and Public Affairs, notes that self-care sits at the heart of Bayer’s vision in Consumer Health: “Helping billions of people live healthier lives with the most trusted self-care solutions.”
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The World Health Organization broadly defines self-care as the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote and maintain health, prevent disease, and cope with illness with or without the support of a health or care worker.
Support details that self-care needs reliable information, affordable access, clear referral pathways, and appropriate oversight. This finding aligns with Bayer’s Road to Billions strategy, which is about reaching more people with trusted, science-based self-care solutions and supporting better everyday health decisions.
The report identified three critical priorities to make self-care a more effective part of mainstream health care: turn policy commitments into action, expand access through trusted and equitable support, and strengthen evidence, measurement, and accountability of self-care.
Support says that, on a system level, self-care needs to be measured across access, cost savings, avoided visits, referral patterns, equity, and continuity of care. She notes that many countries recognize self-care in policy, but often fall short with implementation because it’s not clear who is responsible for what.
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Additionally, she cautions that if products, diagnostics, or digital tools are not accessible or affordable, or if people lack trusted guidance, self-care can place a greater burden on individuals and widen the gaps that currently exist. It is essential for companies like Bayer to invest in health literacy and work with health care professionals to provide trusted guidance.
As the World Health Organization emphasizes the importance of universal health coverage, Bayer intends to contribute by delivering trusted, science-based self-care solutions and using data and digital tools that enable people to make informed decisions about their health.
Support highlights that countries should define which self-care interventions belong in formal pathways and clarify who is responsible for quality and follow-up.
