Even a few years back visiting a doctor and taking an injection was a big task both for the patient and the doctor. The same old syringes and needles where recycled and used over and over again on different patients. The process of cleaning, disinfecting and making the syringe ready for the next use was a time consuming affair and in times of emergency it could have cost many lives. But with one stroke of medical technology, which however was driven by the fear of HIV infection, disposable syringes came into being. It may now look very simple when the doctor just pushes the syringe into the patient’s vein pulls it out and throws the syringe into the garbage can but planning and inventing this technology would have taken years of research and hard work by some right thinking group of persons.

This reminds us of the age old proverb “Necessity is the mother of all inventions”. New diseases, new medical challenges an unhealthy lifestyle thanks to newer conveniences in life has hastened the process of inventing new and improved medical technologies. A typical example of this could be the readymade solutions that are available in the market place for checking blood pressure or blood sugar. In a world where there is a huge mismatch between doctor and patient ratio such self help methods were invented and devised more out of necessity and compulsion.

Another such example is the huge increase in the number of patients suffering from various types of diabetes. Imagine what would have happened if all these patients were to crowd medical clinics, hospitals or doctors to have their daily dosage of insulin injection. However mercifully this situation has been remedied with a path breaking invention whereby the patient could himself self inject with the required dosage of insulin. So it would be pertinent to state here that as more and more health challenges arise the medical fraternity.

Medical technologies in many developing countries could be better referred to as medieval technologies, i.e. technologies which are primitive and outdated. Even today in many state run hospitals and primary health centers in the developing countries, basic facilities like x-ray machines and ventilators are not available in the right quantity. This is unfortunate and it would be very wrong the say that medical technologies have changed the world for good, just by taking into account the facilities available in developed countries.

Medical technologies if it does not reach the developing countries in full and to the remotest corners of the society cannot be called a game-changing technology at all. To overcome this barrier developed countries need to take special care of the needs of the people in the developing countries when it comes to medical and diagnostic health. Also the facilities of diagnosing people in the developed countries are not very technologically advanced and this leads to the inability to treat certain patients. People living in some areas may not have proper access to these medical facilities and this may lead to further complications when it comes to treating people.

A good health care system is designated its stature based on the medical facilities available and this should not be compromised when considering a medical facility. Also quality is something that is a mandatory requirement, if the diagnosis of a disease is not done properly then the reputation of the medical facility is not going to be high among the people. All this can be effectively done only by the use of the best medical technology and this can be brought into the developing countries only with the help of countries which are already enjoying the benefits of these technological facilities.

Medical technology can do wonders in creating a more vibrant and healthy society which is the backbone for the development of a nation.

This country has greatly benefited from the advances made in the field of medical technology. The life span of the average countryman has increased significantly with the use of these newer and more advanced technologies. Some of the new technologies that have helped in this crusade for better health to the average citizens are MRI, CT Scan and newer and more advanced methods of x-rays. Though there are safety concerns that need to be addressed while regularly using these new technologies, the fact remains that the average citizen is much better off in terms of health and longevity of life.

There are more people who are visiting doctors and physicians and taking prescription drugs. This is a clear indication that medical technology and communication tools have made patients and physicians move closer to each other thereby helping better diagnosis, prevention and treatment wherever needed. Another reason that could be attributed to increased life span would be more opportunities being provided to the average citizen to undergo complex surgeries like knee replacement, hip replacements, organ transplantations, complex heart surgeries, etc. All these would not have been possible without the active participation of both the private players and the State and more importantly without the availability of improved medical technologies.

While all this is indeed commendable, the question being asked is whether it has improved the life style of the average citizen. The answer to this would be difficult to say but from what figures show while life span has increased the quality of life has deteriorated because of various socio-economic pressures. This is not desirable because a decline in life style would eventually lead to a deterioration of health and we would run the risk of setting the clock back. So improvement in life expectancy should go hand in hand with improvement in life style.

Medical technology is continuously evolving and what is new today becomes old and obsolete tomorrow. This is good for human kind in general and helps doctors and the medical fraternity to fight diseases that much more confidently and successfully. Though the benefits of better medical technologies are immense there are five areas where it has made a big difference between life and death and between success and failure.

Prevention of diseases is the first area which has seen a huge change in medical technology. The latest example could be the development of a new vaccine for swine flu. The vaccine was researched and made available to the general public within a very short period. Further gathering genetic information and using such information to prevent the spread of genetically transmitted disease is possible only because of the advances in medical technologies.

Regular blood test can play a major role in finding out the root cause of any problem and newer and better ways of testing blood have really proved to be a boon. The development of newer and more modern and reliable diagnostic tools have also made diagnosis, treatment and cure of very dangerous diseases very easy and predictable. Some examples of such diagnostic tools are x-rays, MRI scans, CT Scans, angiogram, etc.

The last and most important development has been in the field of medication and treatment. There is perhaps no disease of illness which does not have a medication or treatment, be it depression, or cancer or even AIDS. Every few months we hear about path breaking developments in medical technologies that are making the world come closer to a situation which can be termed “health and medication for all”.  But it would be better if the benefits of all these technologies and developments percolate down to every individual irrespective of caste, creed and most importantly economic background.