Healthcare is a sector that employs many people—some argue too many in wealthier countries, while others believe there are too few in poorer regions. Yet, in more affluent nations, healthcare provides a stable income for a significant number of individuals. What unites these people is their shared desire to do good—to contribute to the well-being of patients and society.

I find it frustrating when people criticise the healthcare industry as being solely driven by revenue and profit. In my daily interactions, including those within the industry, I meet individuals who are genuinely committed to improving patients’ lives. Every stakeholder in healthcare wants to do the right thing, yet despite these good intentions, the outcomes are still not good enough. We can, and must, do better.

But why aren’t we consistently achieving the best outcomes? If we all want to do good, and most of us know how to, what is stopping us?

I call it ‘distraction’. Distraction prevents us from making the right decisions. Too often, crucial choices are made far removed from the realities of patient care—within boardrooms, where patients and their advocates are absent. Whether in hospital administrations, research institutions, industry, regulatory bodies, or government, we frequently talk about patients, but we rarely engage with them directly. We do not truly understand their struggles, and more importantly, we cannot feel them. Decisions are easier when we are detached from their consequences. But ask a nurse, and she will tell you exactly what those consequences look like—because she is by the patient’s bedside for ten hours a day.

This is why, at Inspire2Live, we bring different people into the same room—all stakeholders in the medical ecosystem, working together with patients and patient advocates. By doing so, decision-makers immediately see the direct impact of their choices. In collaborative projects, they don’t just discuss solutions; they are confronted with the reality of patients’ experiences. We eliminate distraction and reintroduce humanity into healthcare.

We remind professionals that patients are not numbers or cases—they are people, with emotions, families, and loved ones. Just like them. We show them that everyone has, or will have, a parent lost too soon, a sibling battling cancer, or a friend in need of care and support. Whether we are nurses, doctors, researchers, regulators, industry professionals, or policymakers—we are all working with human beings.

This is the mission of Inspire2Live: We humanise healthcare.

Peter Kapitein
Patient Advocate Inspire2Live