KPMG and DXY launch book titled "Human: Solving the Global Workforce Crisis in Healthcare"

New book navigating the medical system's fundamental workforce issues and offering strategic solutions

HONG KONG, Aug. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- KPMG and Dingxiangyuan (DXY), an online networking site for healthcare professionals, jointly hosted a virtual conference for the launch of the Chinese version of the book, Human: Solving the Global Workforce Crisis in Healthcare. Attendees included Mark Britnell, KPMG's global chairman for health and the book's author; Jenny Yao, KPMG China's head of healthcare and Tiantian Li, founder and chairman of DXY.

The original English version of Human: Solving the Global Workforce Crisis in Healthcare published by Oxford University Press was first available for sale in China in May 2019. The Chinese version of the book has now been released and provides readers with a review of the fundamental workforce issues existing in the current healthcare sector and provides 10 strategic measures to address them. It offers insights for addressing the workforce crisis facing the global healthcare industry, and also as a key reference for the effective transformation of the industry.

Tiantian Li, Founder and Chairman of DXY, said: "Patient safety and healthcare quality are two of the guiding principles of the healthcare sector, which explains why the industry is so reliant on its workforce. As a platform for the medical profession, DXY is dedicated to matching medical professionals with positions that best suit their values. Based on its value proposition of openness and inclusion, DXY hopes to address the medical workforce crisis by continuously sharing insights and by communicating China's experiences with other countries around the world."

Jenny Yao, Partner, Head of Healthcare, KPMG China, added: "The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic poses a significant challenge to the global healthcare system. The critical lack of medical professionals has even forced some medical students in Europe to graduate earlier than scheduled and join the fight against the pandemic. Medical professionals around the globe are at the frontline in the fight against this disease, which reflects their sense of responsibility and humanitarian ethos. However, we should also note the imminent workforce crisis that the global healthcare industry is facing."

According to the book the global healthcare sector, currently standing at just over $9 trillion, is the second largest industry in the world. Yet the capability and capacity for the industry to replenish itself, innovate, and become more productive is not sufficient, in addition to ongoing work force shortages.  

One of the reforms suggested in the book is reimagining the pyramid of care. The clinical hierarchy of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and care assistants has remained largely unchanged for a century or more, and most expenditure on education, training, and development of healthcare workers is focused at the top of the skills pyramid. Increasing training and resources for lower-skilled care workers at the bottom of the pyramid can be a potential solution to the rapid rise in number of aging and chronic patients.

Remarks:

Dr. Mark Britnell is one of the foremost global experts on healthcare systems and has a pioneering and inspiring global vision for health in both the developed and developing world. He was appointed Chief Executive of University Hospitals Birmingham in 2000. He masterminded the largest new hospital build in NHS history, established the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine and developed one of the highest performing healthcare organisations in the UK. He joined KPMG as Global Chairman and Senior Partner for Health in 2009 and has established a successful worldwide health practice. Between 2014 and 2018, he was a member of the Global Agenda Council on the Future of the Health Sector for the World Economic Forum and sat on the Advisory Board of the China Center for Health Development at Peking University. He also holds honorary doctorates from Birmingham City University and the University of Wolverhampton.

Dr.Britnell's first book, In Search of the Perfect Health System, has been translated into three languages, and sold in over 109 countries. The book was recognised by Chinese Medical Doctors Association as best health book in China in 2017, and in the UK by the British Medical Association 's Medical Book Awards, achieving first prize in the health and social care category. His new book, Human: Solving the Global Workforce Crisis in Healthcare, calls upon people to restart the global debate on healthcare and wealth, leading readers on a re-evaluation of the workforce challenge in the healthcare system.

About KPMG China

KPMG member firms and its affiliates operating in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau are collectively referred to as "KPMG China". KPMG China is based in 26 offices across 24 cities with around 12,000 partners and staff in Beijing, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Foshan, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hangzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xiamen, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR.  Working collaboratively across all these offices, KPMG China can deploy experienced professionals efficiently, wherever our client is located.

KPMG is a global network of professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. We operate in 147 countries and territories and have more than 219,000 people working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG International"), a Swiss entity. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. In 1992, KPMG became the first international accounting network to be granted a joint venture licence in mainland China. KPMG was also the first among the Big Four in mainland China to convert from a joint venture to a special general partnership, as of 1 August 2012. Additionally, the Hong Kong firm can trace its origins to 1945. This early commitment to this market, together with an unwavering focus on quality, has been the foundation for accumulated industry experience, and is reflected in KPMG's appointment for multidisciplinary services (including audit, tax and advisory) by some of China's most prestigious companies.