Uneven Access To Medicine And Why Studying Abroad Is A Viable Option
Nearly 2 billion people have no access to basic medicines, causing a cascade of preventable misery and suffering. Since the landmark agreement on the Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property, WHO and its partners have launched a number of initiatives that are making market forces serve the poor. The WHO prequalification programme is now firmly established as a mechanism for improving access to safe, effective and quality-assured products.
Underrepresented populations in medicine face significant barriers to becoming a physician. Whether its lack of foundational knowledge, low test scores, lack of representative mentorship, and so much more. These challenges become prohibitive to applying to medical school, leading to a lack of diversity in the field.
The lack of diversity is amplified amongst the physician-scientist field. MD/PhD programs are notoriously selective and competitive. The years of research experience needed, high median scores in NEET, and lack of representative physician-scientist mentors with a culmination of other factors have resulted in a field that lacks diversity.
That’s why studying abroad is a good option and Indian students need to give up their biases and embrace this opportunity. Studying abroad has a number of perks and the costs are at par with Indian Universities. There are no strings attached whatsoever.
Efforts to improve access to medicines are driven by a compelling ethical imperative. People should not be denied access to life-saving or health-promoting interventions for unfair reasons, including those with economic or social causes.
Agreed?
Millions of yearly childhood deaths from diseases that could have been prevented or cured by existing medical products would be unthinkable in a fair and just world.
The world is neither. An estimated two billion people have no access to essential medicines, effectively shutting them off from the benefits of advances in modern science and medicine.
So why not kick start your dream and materialize what you always wanted- to save lives and to make the world a better place to live?
Do let us know what you think! We would love to hear from you:)
