Today the Indian medical field is mired with multiple issues.  Inaccessibility of high level and technology intensive treatment to common public, level of medical education and research, trust between doctors and patients and the economics of the medical treatment…to name a few.

When I started as a young neurosurgeon I slowly realized the issues and hindrances in the quest for excellence.

Brain and spinal cord surgery, known as Neurosurgery, is especially technology intensive.

Perfect Execution of Neurosurgical operations need equipment which need to be imported to deliver the best.

They also attract heavy duties to add to the problem.

Without doubt, technology plays a huge part in giving the best results in this field.

High end technology can cure brain tumors and spine problems, making the sufferers productive again for their families and for the society at large.

The problem of acquiring these technologies is the cost.

The burden it places on the hospitals is that the cost has to be recovered from the patients and it increases the financial burden on the sick.

The traditional view of charity has been to give money to these patients for the treatment… but it has many drawbacks. To identify THE REAL needy is becoming almost impossible due to easy availability of “financially weak” Certificates.

The concept of “Charity through technology” needs to be seriously considered for this same reason.

If technology can be acquired through charity, we are able to deliver the best treatment in affordable cost to the needy.

Higher technology allows for cure in areas like brain tumours and strokes, which are increasing in the society.

This, in turn, gives back a productive individuals to the families and to the society….the result far superior to giving some monetary aid for the treatment by older technology and with inferior results.

They say, “Give a man fish to eat and his one meal is taken care of but..Teach the same man the art of fishing… and his poverty is permanently eradicated”

Similarly “give a man money to get treated and his treatment is temporarily assured but cure him with best technology ensuring best “functional” results which will preserve his functions.. and his life is permanently improved”

So perhaps we need to closely look at and implement this model of “Charity through technology” for the greater good of the society.

Another important benefit of this type of Charity is the progress in science and research, such technological advances bring about, in our society. Only through this approach can we stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the world in science, education and research.

The famous example of this in the field of Neuroscience was the collaboration between the world famous neurosurgeon Dr Harvey Cushing, who is known as the father of world Neurosurgery, and Henry Ford.

Their collaboration changed the face of brain and spine surgery in the first half of the last century.

We need this kind of philanthropy by our kind and scientifically minded donors to take us to the next level.

Jaydev Panchawagh