Learning How to Fly_ Life Lessons for the Youth by APJ.ABDUL KALAM_clone

Your actions become your habits

Your habits become your values Your values become your destiny.’ Let me now share a new medical invention with all of you. Medical experts and engineers have taken a leaf out of nature’s book by equipping an artificial hand with muscles. The new technology enables the fabrication of flexible and lightweight robot hands for industrial applications and novel prosthetic devices. The muscle fibres are composed of bundles of ultrafine nickel-titanium alloy wires that are able to tense and flex. The material itself has sensory properties allowing the artificial hand to perform extremely precise movements. When I was in China, I visited the Peking University’s centre for Robotics. There I met a number of experts working under Professor Li Michael Liu who showed me their new design for an adaptive prosthetic limb which responds to pressures and gradient change. I saw its demonstration and it gave mobility to those who had lost their leg. Professor told me that to make such a system he had to make a team of electrical engineers, medical specialist, rehab specialist and of course designers. Such is the integrated system where all work towards convergence of their knowledge. Science thrives when it converges to solve pressing challenges of the world and this is the 21st century requirement from engineers. Whether we are in a developed country or developing country, there are certain common issues to be addressed particularly in healthcare sector, which include the following: 1. Affordable cost of healthcare without compromising on quality. 2. Preventive healthcare stressing on hygiene education, lifestyle care and upkeep of environment. 3. In a global world, nations cannot be just satisfied with good healthcare in specific localities or groups of the nation or the nation itself. 4. Shortage of clean water and energy can cause serious healthcare problems. 5. There should be mechanisms to spread good deeds of medical practices and societal service from one part of the world to all over the globe. 6. Research and teaching are crucial aids to clinical practice and vice versa. There is a need to bring in worldwide knowledge platforms to find timely and cost effective solutions to healthcare issues. Recently, there was a meeting of patients, their doctors and a few social workers. One important result was discussed. The relationship between the patient and doctor extends to the patients’ family and doctor in medical care. This in turn,

transmits effective messages from one family to another family on how to prevent diseases, the necessity of periodic checks, dietary habits and the need for lifestyle changes including exercises for good health. This good contact between the doctor and patients is comparable to that of a teacher and student. When you are a doctor, I request each one of you to play the role of a teacher in advising every family on disease prevention and methods to maintain quality health. I hope you all will find time for this noble action. (from Address at Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Mysore, 31 March 2015)