“No plan survives first contact with the people we’re trying to help… what’s needed is something that is locally driven,” says Dr Peter Smith OBE, president of the Self‑Care Forum. 

His point sits at the heart of a new report by the Economist Enterprise – Making self-care work: integrating self-care into health systems – a report supported by Bayer. 

The report shows that while self‑care can widen access, improve outcomes and ease pressure on overstretched health systems, countries struggle to integrate it because responsibilities are unclear, safeguards vary and support is uneven. 

Dr Smith’s emphasis on localisation reflects the report’s finding that self‑care only works when it is shaped around real communities, their cultures, their levels of trust and the practical realities of how people navigate health.

The report argues that successful self‑care requires clear governance, equitable financing, reliable information and referral pathways that connect people back to formal care when needed. Our president’s emphasis on localisation strengthens this message: national commitments alone are not enough. Self‑care must be adapted to local settings, supported by trusted messengers and designed to reduce—not widen—inequities.