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A chance to be ahead in medicine

WE WOULD have preferred it to come later rather than sooner. But now that AIDS has reached our shores, it's time to meet the challenge head-on.

Some doctors and nurses may fear the disease. The concern of the public employees' union over this matter is also real. But surely there are among us people who have the idealism and the guts to venture into this very challenging area? And who more knowledgeable about the disease and its dangers than the doctors and nurses themselves?

The disease can mean death. But so do many other diseases. Remember V S Rajan who ran the Middle Road clinic? He died under circumstances which some speculate could have resulted from infection by a virus during his research. That’s sad. But if it’s true, he gave his life for his work - valuable work that someone has to do And Dr Rajan achieved fame internationally for his research.

So there must be volunteers who are bold enough to want to work on AIDS. Dr K V Ratnam, the Middle Road specialist whose research led to the discovery of three people in Singapore with an AIDS-linked virus, deserves congratulations for his initiative But such efforts have significance beyond medical treatment - important as that may be.

Singapore boasts of its keenness to be ahead in technology. This dreaded disease - first identified in the United States of America - has understandably sparked off a major scientific effort to find a cure.

It’s very likely that the Americans will pile in big money into research in this area. They will also need to work with other countries willing to study the dreaded disease. There are opportunities here for Singapore.

If we collaborate with the Americans to do research in this area, we'll find the best and safest operational procedures already in use in America that can be applied here. We will also have the chance to participate in research at the forefront of medical technology.

The remedies that are developed may not be failsafe, but then very little else is 100 per cent failsafe. The question is: Is there a risk to the population at large? It appears not, judging by what's happening elsewhere. Venereal disease has always been around. It's a curse that all truly international cities have to live with. Yet, it’s also true that most inhabitants will not suffer from sexually transmitted diseases.

The reaction of our doctors and nurses smacks of the fear of the unknown that’s more reflective of the “cargo cult" where aborigines worshipped aeroplanes as gods. The only way we can break through is to get to grips with the problem.

It won’t go away if we all bury our heads in the sand. But it can be made to go away with a frontal attack by those who can and want to get involved.

References[]

Comment, "A chance to be ahead in medicine", The Singapore Monitor, 16 April 1985[].

Acknowledgements[]

This article was archived by Roy Tan.

Archive of "A chance to be ahead in medicine", The Singapore Monitor, 16 April 1985

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