Photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

Improving technology and digitalisation have sure contributed to the coping of countries and governments with the one-year-old Novel Coronavirus pandemic. Yet, the most compelling realisation is that health is the key to happiness, dependent on one’s attitude and perspective in life; and for which each and every individual must be responsible for.

Aster DM Healthcare deputy managing director Alisha Moopen emphasised this a number of times on Monday. She was among the featured speakers at “The First ABLF Talks Virtual Conclave” (12:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. UAE time).

ABLF stands for the Asian Business Leadership Forum. Under the patronage of UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Economy, this is said to be a gathering of the brightest minds from world’s largest continent by land size and the most populated at approximately 4.7 billion. Three fora took place last quarter of 2020.

The 2021 theme was “Innovative Strategies for a Decade of Challenges-Asia 2020-2030.” Moopen’s take on the developments and future of global healthcare was discussed at “The Crisis: A Catalyst for a Tech-Led Future.”

For a start, she said: “Health has to be the top national agenda always, and I think it is heartening to see the positive traction at all levels to prioritise healthcare as a silver lining from this dreaded pandemic. The year has started with positive news of vaccinations which has been fast-tracked by so many countries and the quickest to-market product we have ever seen in the history of mankind.” “Administering billions of people will require new models, coordination across partners and technology enablers to make this happen as quickly and effectively as possible,” Moopen continued.

She also said: “The pandemic has fast-tracked technological adoption by almost 10 times and has turned the world into one virtual connected platform, bringing people closer together and providing an easy solution to many modern world problems. Moopen expressed gratitude to the ABLF Organising Committee for “setting the pathway for a sustainable future.”

Asked by the moderator to expound on her dictum of “Healthiness is Happiness,” Moopen pointed out that “as human beings and social beings” whose interactions are part and parcel of every day life, everyone should self-care. This involves all the physical, social, emotional, psychological and spiritual aspects of health since a lack in any, would, at some point delay or derail what needs to be done: “Let us focus on our health. It is the journey to happiness.”