Epidemiological Transition and the Crisis of the Treatment Model: The Need for a Shift Toward Preventive and Integrative Healthcare

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for the majority of global mortality, yet healthcare systems remain largely oriented toward the treatment of acute conditions. This study examines the structural mismatch between contemporary disease patterns and healthcare system organization. Methods: A narrative analytical review was conducted using secondary data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study and World Health Organization (WHO) reports, supplemented by literature from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar (2000–2026). Findings were interpreted using epidemiological transition theory, health systems analysis, and political economy frameworks. Results: The analysis identifies multiple structural drivers of treatment-oriented healthcare systems, including economic incentives favoring curative services, short-term political decision-making cycles, and the historical dominance of the biomedical model. These factors contribute to systematic underinvestment in prevention, rising healthcare expenditures, and persistent global inequalities in access to medical technologies, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current model is associated with increasing economic burden and projected losses in global productivity by 2030–2050. Conclusions: The findings indicate that the current healthcare model is structurally misaligned with population health needs. Improving health outcomes and system sustainability requires a reorientation toward prevention, long-term health metrics, and the evidence-based integration of complementary approaches within healthcare systems.