Letters | Why cardiovascular health is an economic imperative for Asia
Readers discuss a quiet threat to regional economies, conflicts over port facilities in Panama and Australia, and Malaysia-Indonesia border demarcation
While the regional discourse remains focused on trade tensions and military posturing, a quieter threat is undermining Asia’s economic momentum: the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases.
The economic implications are substantial. A World Health Organization analysis estimated that non-communicable diseases cost the Philippine economy about US$14 billion annually – equivalent to 4.8 per cent of gross domestic product in the mid-2010s – driven largely by lost productivity.
These trends expose a strategic vulnerability for economies that rely on a healthy workforce to sustain growth, attract investment and support ageing populations. In Hong Kong, nearly 30 per cent of adults are affected by hypertension, a largely preventable condition that quietly erodes household finances and diverts public resources from development to long-term care.
Cardiovascular health should therefore be viewed not only as a medical issue, but as a pillar of economic resilience and human security. The policy response is well established. The WHO’s “best buys” – including tobacco control, salt reduction and early detection and treatment of hypertension – offer high returns at relatively low cost.