Recent Advances in Science and Technology Have Widened the Gap Between the Haves and the Have Nots – Do You Agree?
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“Recent advances in science and technology have widened the gap between the haves and the have nots.” Do you agree?
When Malthus formulated his Malthusian theory; one that predicted the end of the world in the Year 2000, he failed to take into account the single most influential factor on the human race in the last century: technology. Indeed, science and technology have touched the lives of almost every human being and altered their fates. However, this magic pill to the various problems of humanity comes at a great price; a price so high that poor Africa cannot afford, especially in the field of medicine. In short, the rich-poor divide widens as the rich gets access the best of medicine, while the poor, well, approach their friendly neighbourhood shaman.
Jeffrey Sachs in his book “The End of Poverty” made a startling observation; medicine of the West could cure the AIDS patients of Africa, something that could never happen to the rest of the world. This is largely due to the fact that Africans living in the less developed countries (LDC) had rarely in their lives taken synthetic medicine, hence reducing the resistance of the AIDS virus to the synthetic drugs aimed at controlling the disease. This observation raises hope, but along with it, an awareness that man were born unequal. It is hard to imagine how anyone at all in the world could not even have access to the simplest and cheapest forms of paracetimol. This is reality. While we often wow at the rapid rate at which technology advances, we applaud the successful separation of the Korean Siamese twins, Kenyans are foraging the forests for mint leaves to relieve the pain of their afflicted loved ones. In a recent effort between Kenya and the European Union, AIDS medicine was made available at a charge of US$1 a month. There is an estimated number of two million Kenyans afflicted with AIDS nationwide, bearing in mind this is just merely a figure extrapolated from the official records. The EU however, made available medicine only enough for 200,000, despite efforts from the Kenyan government to negotiate for more. Well, at least we save ten percent of the Kenyans right? Wrong. With the price at US$1, only 500 can afford the medication, which basically means that the other two million sit and await the call of death, while watching their richer neighbours clone sheep named Dolly and Polly. The medical abilities of the poorest continent of the world could be said to be that of the West, at the turn of the 20th century. Well, they have one or two Western doctors who have the ability to diagnose as accurate as the rusty machines allow them to, prescribing them their best medicine available; rest. The medical stores of Africa are as poorly stocked as their food stores. Red Cross shipments arrive once every few months, often with inadequate supplies. Governments from the Democratic Republic of Congo and that of Kenya have often begged for more supplies, but their pleas have often fallen on deaf ears. Namibia has since withdrawn from the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development since 1995 due to the reluctance of their Western counterparts in offering a helping hand. A hospital in Kenya often means a makeshift shack with about 10 beds lined side by side, somewhat similar to the conditions of hospitals of Britain during the war torn periods. In comparison, the American government debates over how much subsidy the government ought to give to pensioners who opt to stay in the top class wards, the Singapore government aims to turn the country into a medical hub, offering state-of-art medical services, both efficient and effective. As science continues to advance, the countries that stand to gain are those at the forefront of medicine. These are countries like Singapore, which even has its very own research hub, the Biopolis. Countries that benefit the least, at times, not even benefiting at all, are those at the lowest end of development. Money makes the world go round. Those chartering the progress of medicine are profit driven. In addition to the recognition and