Susie Ellis, chair and CEO of the Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS), is encouraging governments around the world to introduce national Ministries of Wellness that would work to align strategies with key leaders in other ministries such as health, economic development, tourism, education.

Ellis co-wrote an article with GSWS delegate and CEO of Wisdom Works Group Renee Moorefield for the Huffington Post, detailing the “bridge-building” role a Ministry of Wellness would have between other governmental departments.

“A Ministry of Wellness would gather data, create workable rules and exert influence on other governmental agencies,” say the co-authors. “The Minister in charge would explore the possibility of using tax incentives to bring about greater change, focus on increasing wellness tourism revenue, creating jobs and – in time – explore ways to decrease healthcare costs.”

While the use of the word “wellness” in the title of any ministry name, or having an ‘Undersecretary of Wellness’ would be a move in the right direction – Ellis and Moorefield advocate a full ministry is the best way for “life on our planet to gain the most rewards.”

Some countries and regions are already employing an integrative body dedicated to wellness into their governmental framework, including Alberta, Nova Scotia, St Vincent and the Grenadines. They each have a Ministry of Health and Wellness. India also employs a minister of Ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy.

Wellness-related ministries would be able to take advantage of the benefits of wellness tourism – a sector of travel that is projected to grow by 9.9 per cent annually over the next five years, twice the rate of global tourism overall.

These ministries can also offer corporations ways to profitably add workplace wellness schemes to make populations healthier. As individuals become more interested in preventative healthcare, corporations that offer wellness schemes produce a more engaged workforce and become an asset.

Rather than using hospitals as “fix-it shops”, Moorefield and Ellis believe the way to fix broken healthcare systems globally is to introduce a ministry of wellness to focus on preventative care.

In other news, Susie Ellis is also president of Spafinder Wellness 365 – which this week revealed its 2015 forecast of spa and wellness trends. Read the full story here.