It is unfathomable, and painful to acknowledge, but real; so many of the world’s deaths are potentially avoidable. Malaria, a disease that’s both preventable and curable, killed 608,000 men, women and children just in 2022. People’s health is still affected by infections for which we have vaccinations, types of cancer whose prognosis would completely change if detected early through affordable screening or heart diseases aggravated by lack of health literacy and true access to better lifestyle choices.
The OECD defines avoidable mortality as deaths that can be either prevented altogether through public health measures or treated effectively with timely interventions – both can reverse this troubling trend.
AI can help. It has already begun to change medicine as we know it. Just today (Sunday) genetically engineered mosquitos, with modified genes, were released in Africa in a pilot program to fight rising Malaria cases. We have already begun to practice different medicine, with disease prediction models, automated image analysis of CT and MRI scans and molecular engineering advancing drug discovery. Multi-omics research (holistically integrating genetic and non-genetic factors, or all different human “omics” levels, such as genomics, epigenomics, proteomics and metabolomics) will soon redefine personalized treatment. These statements are all accurate. I and my fellow researchers write quite a lot about them. However, though innovative and true, these are not the whole truth, not by a long shot.
Half of all global deaths in children under 5 are due to malnutrition. As many as 443,832 children of the same age die from diarrhea-related illnesses each year. That’s not just a stat. Four hundred and forty-three thousand, eight hundred and thirty two children—each one counts. And these are only the recorded deaths by the World Health Organization.
Each day in my practice, I wash my hands countless times; between each patient, before and after each interaction. Water and soap trickle down the drain to a complex system of pipes and drainage, while at the same time, on our same planet, 1.5 billion people have no access to the most basic sanitation facilities, further propagating diseases.
Access to healthcare services and lifesaving medications is still appallingly limited in low- and middle-income countries, and that includes generic drugs, to which less than 60% of the population in these countries have access. People in poorer regions who cannot afford basic medications are also the most vulnerable ones to the growing crisis of anti-microbial resistance. Simultaneously, in developed countries, billions of dollars worth of medications are discarded, unused, expired and wasted.
Global VC investments in AI companies amounted to over $25 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2024, across all fields. This is remarkable, climbing, and is undoubtedly paving the way for a new world, from accessible communication and generative creativity, through energy sources and efficient quantum compute power. But our current reality is still here, and people are suffering.
If we invested as much time, energy and resources in delivering the current, already-advanced medical practices to those in need, while continuing to develop generative cutting-edge insights, our collective health would be exponentially improved. An early detection algorithm or a genomic treatment plan can, and should, be developed and delivered everywhere; but also should running water and essential medications.
It is often easier for us in developed regions to focus on technological progress and ingenuity than talk about affordable care or basic sanitation. These shouldn’t be in contrast. Technological advancement and its profitability drive economies and create job, but it is necessary to adopt a broader point of view. We are one people on one earth. It wasn’t that long ago that COVID proved our interconnectedness and fragility, how the entire world, richer and poorer regions alike, can be affected by a health crisis starting in a localized region. Governments should create lucrative incentives and regulatory bodies should diligently enforce global health and impact acts on corporations. Sustainability is a good starting point. We cannot keep developing and under-developing in such a rapid divide. We must answer difficult questions like what is medical progress, and whether longevity in one region has to come at the expanse of equating care in other regions or preserving the environment for future generations.
As we research progress, promote longevity and provide sophisticated care, let us constantly remember our everyday responsibility for the most basic struggles of survival, and do our best to balance them both.
