Southeast Asia shouldn’t copy the U.S. healthcare model, says Walgreens Boots Alliance’s APAC head: ‘It saves your life, but it’s not very healthy’

Walgreens Boots Alliance’s Asia-Pacific head said Southeast Asian markets should avoid replicating the U.S. healthcare model, arguing it delivers lifesaving care but produces poor population health outcomes at high cost. The executive’s warning comes as the region builds out care systems while contending with rising healthcare costs and a shortage of specialist doctors. The remarks position the company, which operates retail pharmacies and clinics across several Asian markets, as a voice in how those systems are designed. The core concern is that copying the U.S. approach could lock in expensive, specialist-heavy care before Southeast Asian countries settle on cheaper primary and preventive models. Watch for how regional health ministries and insurers weigh retail pharmacy and primary care expansion against specialist investment as costs climb.