The healthcare industry is expanding rapidly as transformation across medical and health‑related businesses accelerates. The spread of COVID‑19 reshaped people’s behavior and further propelled structural changes that were already underway.

The expansion of digital health has become a central trend. Telemedicine is now well established, mobile health solutions such as wearable monitoring devices are becoming commonplace, and AI‑assisted diagnostics are helping reduce the burden on physicians while improving accuracy. Personalized medicine, tailored to individual patients using genetic information, is also advancing in clinical practice. Interest in pandemic preparedness remains high, and global collaboration frameworks led by the WHO continue to evolve. The number of healthcare and technology‑focused startups is rising quickly, and companies from other industries are increasingly entering the field, underscoring the growing importance of this sector.

At the same time, environmental challenges within the healthcare industry are becoming more serious, just as in other industries. Sustainable healthcare aims to maintain high‑quality medical services while minimizing environmental impact. Initiatives such as green hospitals, sustainable procurement, and responsible equipment use are gaining momentum as the industry works to balance medical quality with environmental responsibility.

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  Increasing greenhouse gas emissions

  Major sources of emissions include the energy consumed by medical facilities and the development and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, which require numerous experiments and prototypes
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  Increasing medical waste and disposal issues

  The large‑scale use of disposable instruments and packaging contributes to growing volumes of waste, and the disposal of masks, gloves, and other items has surged since the COVID‑19 pandemic
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  Water pollution from pharmaceuticals

  Unused or unmetabolized pharmaceuticals discharged from hospitals and households can remain in water systems, creating concerns about their impact on aquatic ecosystems
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  Environmental impact of supply chains

  Greenhouse gases are emitted through the global transportation of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumables. Cold‑chain logistics for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors are especially energy‑intensive, adding further environmental burden
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  Improving resource efficiency is an urgent priority

  There is a pressing need to introduce reusable medical devices and energy‑efficient medical equipment, develop products designed for modular replacement, and promote the recycling of materials