Jason Gale is a Bloomberg reporter covering the fields of health care and science in Asia. He recently received a Society of Publishers in Asia award for his work with Bloomberg Markets.
In Depth recently spoke with Jason to discuss his work and the latest trends he’s seeing in health and science.
You currently devote a lot of time to covering health and science issues in Asia. What’s it like reporting on this field? How do you go about working with sources and developing stories?
I’m fortunate to have reported from more than a dozen countries for Bloomberg, enabling me to see very different aspects of humanity. In one hospital in India recently, I saw a premature baby, weighing 4 pounds, with lungs filled with tuberculosis, and the amazing dedication and devotion of the health workers caring for her. I saw from my colleagues at Bloomberg how networks and reputation opened doors for them — contacts would even call them with scoops. Spending time forming relationships with leaders in health and science — be it policymakers, doctors or researchers — has paid off, as they’re more willing to be interviewed, share information, discuss story ideas and put me in contact with people they know.
What are some of the major health and science issues facing this region of the world today?
The pillars of health — balanced diet, physical activity, sleep and a clean environment — are under threat everywhere, but perhaps more so in Asia, where public health is often ignored in pursuit of economic growth. I’m interested in how a legacy of deprivation, particularly among girls and women, has made many Asian populations more vulnerable to chronic illness, such as diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers, which are negating the benefits of development.
On the flip side of that coin, are there any past trends in the industry that are now on the decline?
Key indicators of health, such as life expectancy, infant mortality, and access to safe drinking water, are improving across the region. Thanks to vaccination, cases of many communicable diseases are declining rapidly. There are only two countries in Asia where polio is considered endemic: Pakistan and Afghanistan. So there’s good progress happening.
As a reporter, what are some of the inherent challenges in covering your beat?
Medical science is advancing quickly, with hundreds of academic papers published each week. Because it’s important to keep abreast of what’s going on, it’s easy to get distracted by the latest exciting discovery. So my biggest challenge is to stay focused.