Corporate wellness and national strategies aim for good cardiovascular healthCorporate wellness and national strategies aim for good cardiovascular health

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) claimed more than 19 million lives in 2023, roughly one-third of global deaths, and this figure continues to rise despite decades of medical progress. The scale of the crisis makes it not only a public health emergency but also a corporate and economic challenge.

To put things in perspective, heart disease and stroke account for enormous productivity losses globally. Regional studies project such losses to be in the billions of euros across Europe and similarly billions of dollars in the United States. In the Middle East and Asia, the cost of lost productivity due to heart-related conditions now rivals that of infectious diseases. Understandably, this economic drain has reframed heart health as a boardroom issue rather than a purely clinical one for employers and insurers.

This World Heart Day, attention is turning from hospitals to headquarters, as organisations recognise that cardiovascular health is central to business resilience and workforce sustainability.

Prevention is a business imperative

The modern workplace has become a key battleground in the fight against cardiovascular disease. Sedentary jobs, long working hours, poor diets, and chronic stress have all combined to elevate risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.

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Employers are realising that the cost of inaction, including higher insurance premiums, absenteeism, and reduced productivity, far outweighs the investment required for prevention. Global research by the World Economic Forum and Thrive Global suggests that for every $1 spent on employee wellness, companies can expect up to $4 in return through higher retention and lower healthcare costs.

“At Heart Health India Foundation, we’re on a mission to make heart health a priority for the corporate workforce,” says Ram Khandelwal, Founder of the Heart Health India Foundation. Khandelwal survived cardiac arrest in his 30s and since then has founded the patient advocacy group that conducts regular awareness programmes to educate working professionals on the risks of heart attacks, key warning signs, and effective ways to manage risk factors.

In the GCC, where lifestyle-related diseases are increasingly prevalent, major corporates are embedding heart health into their employee value proposition. Workplace health screenings, fitness app partnerships, and AI-powered health dashboards are becoming mainstream.

“In the Middle East, the onset of CVD occurs at a much younger age compared with the global population,” noted Dr Ronney Shantouf, MD, Interventional Cardiology.

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The rise of the prevention economy

As healthcare systems worldwide struggle with the soaring cost of chronic disease, a new “prevention economy” is emerging, driven by innovation, data, and employer-led initiatives.

Corporate wellness has evolved beyond annual health checks or gym subsidies. It now encompasses continuous health monitoring, digital biomarkers, and personalised prevention. Wearable technologies are leading the charge: smartwatches capable of tracking ECGs, heart rate variability, and blood oxygen levels are empowering employees to manage their cardiovascular risk proactively.

At the European Union level, much work is being done at the federal level. For instance, a European Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Plan is in the works and expected to be published by the European Commission before the end of the year.

“There are opportunities at the global level that must be seized. A new framework following 4P Medicine (predictive, preventative, personalised, and participatory) could help shift the focus towards personalised prevention and cardiovascular health rather than CVD,” notes Nicola Bedlington, Senior Policy Advisor, FH European Foundation.

Public–private synergy

Governments in the GCC, too, have made cardiovascular health a strategic priority. National wellness frameworks such as the UAE’s National Strategy for Wellbeing 2031 and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 healthcare transformation promote preventive healthcare as the foundation for long-term economic growth.

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This alignment between corporate strategy and public health policy could unlock new models of partnership — creating a multi-stakeholder ecosystem that shares both the cost and the benefit of prevention.