Southeast Asia Urged Not to Copy U.S. Healthcare
Walgreens Boots Alliance's Asia-Pacific president warned that the region should avoid the American healthcare model.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Healthcare
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Li Zhong, APAC president of Walgreens Boots Alliance, said Southeast Asia should not copy the U.S. healthcare model while speaking at Fortune's Southeast Asia 500 Summit in Ho Chi Minh City on Nov. 3. He pointed to the U.S. spending roughly 17% of its GDP, or $5.6 trillion, on healthcare.
Why it matters
Southeast Asia is building out its care systems amid rising healthcare costs and a shortage of specialist doctors. Many countries in the region are rapidly greying, bringing a rise in chronic disease incidence.
The U.S. spends roughly 17% of its GDP, or $5.6 trillion, on healthcare, while Vietnam devotes 4.6% of its GDP to health spending. Indonesia's specialist ratio is about 0.2 per 1,000 people, compared with 1.2 per 1,000 in Singapore.
The players
Walgreens Boots Alliance
A global pharmacy and healthcare retail company with operations spanning multiple continents, including the UK's Boots pharmacy chain.
Siloam Hospitals
One of Indonesia's largest private hospital operators, running about 41 hospitals across the country.
The details
Li Zhong argued that Americans have a shorter healthspan than people in Vietnam despite the far higher spending. Siloam Hospitals, meanwhile, is building community primary care clinics in Indonesia and has been investing in enterprise AI since late 2025.
Timeline
Since late 2025: Siloam Hospitals began investing in enterprise AI.
Nov. 3, 2026: Li Zhong spoke at Fortune's Southeast Asia 500 Summit in Ho Chi Minh City.
Healthcare Landscape
The UK's NHS Pharmacy First scheme lets patients in England visit participating Boots pharmacies for clinical assessments and treatment for seven common conditions without a GP appointment. Southeast Asian providers are pursuing similar community-based primary care rather than replicating the U.S. model.
Pharmacy-based primary care models can allow patients to get assessments and treatment for common conditions without booking a specialist appointment. Expanded community clinics may shorten waits for routine care in markets facing specialist shortages.
The takeaway
Affordable healthcare in the region may depend on community primary care and pharmacy access rather than copying high-spending systems. Readers tracking regional health costs should watch how clinic networks and AI investments change access over the coming years.
Further reading
Explore more on Healthcare to see how regional systems are evolving beyond the U.S. model.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Fortune.
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