Due to growing and ageing populations, treatment improvements, and increased chronic disease burden, demand for healthcare services is expected to grow strongly over the next couple of decades.
In light of this, I think the healthcare sector is a great place to look for long term investments.
But which healthcare shares should you buy? Three top healthcare shares that I think could provide strong long term returns for investors are listed below. Here's why I like them:
iShares Global Healthcare ETF (ASX: IXJ)
I think one of the best ways for investors to gain exposure to this investment thematic is with the iShares Global Healthcare ETF. I believe it could be a quality option for investors as it provides exposure to companies across biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device sectors. This includes many of the world's biggest and best healthcare companies such as CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL), Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, and Pfizer.
Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME)
Pro Medicus is a provider of a full range of radiology IT software and services to hospitals, imaging centres, and healthcare groups. One of the key products in its portfolio is the Visage 7 Enterprise Imaging Platform. It delivers fast, multi-dimensional images streamed via an intelligent thin-client viewer. It is widely regarded as the best in its class and continues to grow in popularity with leading healthcare institutions. In addition to this, the company offers a leading suite of RIS, PACS and eHealth solutions. Combined, management believes they constitute one of the most comprehensive end-to-end offerings in radiology.
Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC)
Ramsay Health Care is a global private hospital operator which operates 480 facilities across 11 countries. While the next 12 months are likely to be tough for Ramsay due to the global pandemic and tough trading conditions in key markets, I believe this has been fully priced into its shares now. In light of this, I think investors should focus on the future, which I feel is very positive given its world class global network and the increasing demand for healthcare services. In addition to this, the company has opportunities to increase its global footprint with further acquisitions in the coming years.
