An Economic Lens on Health? - The Importance of Exploring in the Vast Public Health Field

Disclaimer: All opinions and views expressed in this article are solely those of the individuals providing them and do not reflect the opinions and views of the NUS Public Health Club, the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and their respective affiliates or employees. 

What comes to mind when the word “health” is uttered?

Or… “healthcare”? “Public Health”?

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Health may all be about wellness, including disease prevention to keep sickness at bay, or for the good of mankind’s being which, at a societal level, may be viewed in other aspects such as health literacy and public health policymaking. But…market access? Healthcare consumer products and health economics? It may be unsurprising to some, but still it evokes commercial and economic sentiments, far from what one conventionally thinks of “public health / healthcare / health”.

Yet, aspects relating to economy and the market form the foundations of Rui Min’s job in the healthcare and life sciences consulting industry. Rui’s work involves many projects on a wide range of aspects including market access, medical writing, evidence generation and business development. In market access, for example, Rui’s role would involve advising pharmaceutical or medical technology companies (the clients) on how they can bring their products into the market. This requires the understanding of the public health landscape and how “the government and private health systems are uniquely integrated in the market” to best advise clients so that they can strategise how their products can fit into the market to make “the most impact on both the community and the corporation”.

The economic lens on health does not stop at market access. In medical writing projects, Rui mentioned that there will “always be a section on clinical & economic burden [of the disease] and value [of the product]”, for example, on the cost of medical treatments. 

In her work where the understanding of public health landscape and systems is important, Rui indicated that the 2nd major in public health was helpful as a stepping stone to understand the topics she encounters in her job. She pointed out that in the company she works in, health economics is a key pillar which she did not manage to dabble much in during her undergraduate years. This is something she is keen to explore further. 

Indeed, learning is a lifelong journey. As the saying goes, “the world is your oyster”. There are numerous possibilities and diverse pathways for one to embark on in the public health sector, highlighting the importance of exploring one’s interest.

The spirit of continuous exploring is also stressed by Rui, in the advice she’d like to give our Public Health juniors: “Public health is an extremely broad field and I would encourage everyone not to close off other options and to have a taste of everything before deciding what you’d like to dive deeper in. Take your time to explore and determine what is best for you.” 

In all, the value of exploration is one public health students should keep close to their hearts, in finding their fit in public health.

We express our gratitude to the staff advisors at Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, Dr Andre Matthias Müller and Ms Wendy Tan Mei Ling, for their guidance and support provided to us in the PHC Alumni Relations Interview Series (AY2022/2023).