Monday, July 26, 2004
What do we want out of modern medicine?
One in every 10 people entering hospital for a surgical procedure these days will probably acquire a hospital-based infection.
That's one of the startling figures quoted by Professor Peter Curson, director of the health studies programme at Macquarie University, New South Wales, in an article in today's NZ Herald.
Professor Curson asks, what do we want out of modern medicine? What role should the medical profession assume in modern society? Is it to provide relief from suffering? Is it to keep us alive longer, regardless of the quality of life we may be forced to endure? Is it to make us lead healthier lives? Or, in this high-tech environment, is it simply to act as a service provider catering for the whims and wishes of people wanting cosmetic enhancements?
"Why is it, in a society committed to social equality and welfare, that certain groups of people - the young, the old and the disadvantaged - continue to bear a disproportionate burden of injury and disease? Why is it that our high-technology and high-quality hospitals belie their true purpose and cause ill-health? Probably one in every 10 people entering hospital for a surgical procedure these days will acquire a hospital-based infection. Why is it that so many people die as a result of injuries or diseases sustained in the course of their employment?
"In New Zealand there are now more deaths from this source than there are on the roads. In addition, about one in every seven New Zealanders suffer a non-fatal injury or illness (for example, broken bones, hearing loss, asthma, headaches, stress, or RSI) in the workplace.
Some serious debate is needed. Trouble is, the media focus on high-profile "compassionate" cases (like, how can we be so cruel as to deny that treatment to this deserving person), which makes it impossible to provide answers that do not seem callous. No-one is facing up to the fact that it is simply not possible to provide every expensive treatment to every deserving case. In the meantime, basic treatments - for cataracts, to name just one - are being denied to thousands.
One in every 10 people entering hospital for a surgical procedure these days will probably acquire a hospital-based infection.
That's one of the startling figures quoted by Professor Peter Curson, director of the health studies programme at Macquarie University, New South Wales, in an article in today's NZ Herald.
Professor Curson asks, what do we want out of modern medicine? What role should the medical profession assume in modern society? Is it to provide relief from suffering? Is it to keep us alive longer, regardless of the quality of life we may be forced to endure? Is it to make us lead healthier lives? Or, in this high-tech environment, is it simply to act as a service provider catering for the whims and wishes of people wanting cosmetic enhancements?
"Why is it, in a society committed to social equality and welfare, that certain groups of people - the young, the old and the disadvantaged - continue to bear a disproportionate burden of injury and disease? Why is it that our high-technology and high-quality hospitals belie their true purpose and cause ill-health? Probably one in every 10 people entering hospital for a surgical procedure these days will acquire a hospital-based infection. Why is it that so many people die as a result of injuries or diseases sustained in the course of their employment?
"In New Zealand there are now more deaths from this source than there are on the roads. In addition, about one in every seven New Zealanders suffer a non-fatal injury or illness (for example, broken bones, hearing loss, asthma, headaches, stress, or RSI) in the workplace.
Some serious debate is needed. Trouble is, the media focus on high-profile "compassionate" cases (like, how can we be so cruel as to deny that treatment to this deserving person), which makes it impossible to provide answers that do not seem callous. No-one is facing up to the fact that it is simply not possible to provide every expensive treatment to every deserving case. In the meantime, basic treatments - for cataracts, to name just one - are being denied to thousands.
