The COVID-19 pandemic is driving major shifts in healthcare and society. And looking ahead, challenges get even bigger, with countries around the world struggling with overwhelmed health systems, widening health gaps and the escalating burden of disease and healthcare costs.

It's clear that "business as usual" won't be enough. Innovative and urgent action is needed to deliver better health today, and in the years to come.

Today's health issues and the future of healthcare were key topics of discussion at the recent Aspen Ideas: Health event, held virtually April 27-29. Abbott's Andrea Wainer joined Peggy Clark, executive director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, to talk about the imperative for change in healthcare.

In a fast-paced Leadership Perspective session, Wainer and Clark discussed the impact of the pandemic on how we all access healthcare today – and the vital importance of broader access to testing and care for everything from COVID-19 to chronic conditions like diabetes.

Wainer also shared an update on our efforts to bring COVID-19 testing to different places and settings, including the home – and also talked about how Abbott is looking to deliver the future of healthcare through our 2030 Sustainability Plan. With a focus on innovating for greater access and affordability in our life-changing technologies, this strategy outlines how we're working to reach more people, in more places, than ever before – with the ambitious goal to improve the lives of more than 3 billion by decade's end.

You can see the full video interview above – and access more of the engaging sessions from Aspen Ideas: Health here.

And for more on these discussion topics:

• The latest on COVID-19 testing
• Our work to prevent the next pandemic
• Delivering the future of diabetes care
• How we're innovating for access
• Our 2030 Sustainability Plan and targets