Section 7
interview
dr maliha hashmi
When health systems, policy, technology, and community begin to move together, we create something far more powerful than treatment alone. We create the conditions for people to remain well — not just recover when they are unwell. To me, the promise of health as a human right is not only the right to care when something goes wrong. It is the right to live in conditions where wellbeing is possible, protected, and continuously nurtured. And when leaders design with that intention — grounded in justice, guided by mercy, and carried with a sense of love for humanity — we move toward a world where health is not something people struggle to access, but something they are truly supported in living. Because at its essence, caring for human health is an expression of how we value life itself — and how we choose to serve something greater than ourselves. Kamil: You’ve spoken about redesigning healthcare toward prevention and wellbeing — what does a “healthy by design” system look like in practice? Dr. Maliha: We must redesign healthcare around life, not illness. A healthy-by-design model begins long before the hospital. It is built into schools, cities, workplaces, homes, food systems, maternal care, digital tools, and everyday environments. Prevention should not be a side conversation; it should be the architecture of the system. It is reflected in how people live each day — in walkable communities, in spaces that invite movement, in environments that restore rather than exhaust, and in the presence of strong social connection, purpose, and belonging. When we look at some of the longest-living communities in the world, we see that wellbeing is not engineered — it is lived, shaped by movement, connection, and daily rhythms. That means shifting incentives. Today, many systems still reward intervention more than prevention. We need models that reward early detection, longitudinal health coaching, behavioral support, nutrition, movement, mental wellbeing, and community-based care. I have long advocated for a “well-care” approach — one that invests in keeping people healthy rather than waiting for them to become expensive patients. The institutions that will lead in the next era are those that integrate data, design, and human behavior to make the healthy choice the easier, more natural choice. That is what I mean by healthy by design: health not as rescue, but as infrastructure — where livability, sustainability, and human connection are not add-ons, but part of how health is experienced every day. When life itself is designed with this level of care and intention, health becomes not only a system outcome, but a reflection of how we choose to live, with awareness, balance, and responsibility.
Kamil: What role do you see AI and deep technology playing in shaping the future of health over the next decade? Dr. Maliha: What I hope to see from AI and deep technology is a shift toward a more aware, more empowered, and more human- centered experience of health. At its best, AI allows us to move earlier — to understand patterns, anticipate risk, and support people before disease even occurs. It creates the possibility of healthier individuals who are more connected to their own wellbeing, more informed about their bodies, and more supported in making decisions that sustain their health over time. And when care is needed, it becomes more precise and more personalized — reducing unnecessary interventions and ensuring that people receive what is truly right for them.
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DAVOS CLUB
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