The way of the future
The internet has been growing at a very rapid rate. The information that can be obtained from it is enormous. Its arrival has made libraries obsolete and unnecessary. The internet has grown from just simple static webpages to interactive and service providing sites. In certain countries, you can get even your groceries online!
Legal services have now jumped onto the bandwagon. From a recent article in The Star, foreign law firms are forming internet sites to provide legal services to the public including Malaysians. This provides competition to our local law firms. Globalisation is the term where borders no longer offer protection against foreign forces. Could medicine be heading in the same direction?
Probably yes, and we Malaysians must progress fast enough. The utilisation of the internet among Malaysians even doctors is still comparatively low. Our education system is not going with the times and lack foresight in planning. Even the boasting of paperless hospitals in Malaysia is a mere illusion. Are we promoting the use of the internet among our medical students? Are we encouraging the use of technology in hospital wards? Most hospitals and government institutions cannot even maintain a decent website! As even countries like India are moving towards tele-consultations, Malaysia lags humiliatingly behind. Most in Malaysia still do not yet see the potential benefits of the internet.
Medicine is definitely becoming increasingly technology dependant. From information gathering to communication, the internet is becoming the main tool. In the future, wars could be fought and won in cyberspace. We must prepare and equip our future generations including doctors for this eventuality. We should progress further, not just setting up of webpages and online forums. We need more interactive, service providing sites. We need innovation and ideas. We need commitment in computerisation from online medical records to patient management. We need better cyberlaws.
There is much work to do. We need to spark a revolution. A revolution that brings Silicon Valley (forget about MSC) to our doorsteps. It is a dream requiring a collective mindset and determination. It entails exploration and experimentation. It involves more failures than successes. But this is how the future is created.
Legal services have now jumped onto the bandwagon. From a recent article in The Star, foreign law firms are forming internet sites to provide legal services to the public including Malaysians. This provides competition to our local law firms. Globalisation is the term where borders no longer offer protection against foreign forces. Could medicine be heading in the same direction?
Probably yes, and we Malaysians must progress fast enough. The utilisation of the internet among Malaysians even doctors is still comparatively low. Our education system is not going with the times and lack foresight in planning. Even the boasting of paperless hospitals in Malaysia is a mere illusion. Are we promoting the use of the internet among our medical students? Are we encouraging the use of technology in hospital wards? Most hospitals and government institutions cannot even maintain a decent website! As even countries like India are moving towards tele-consultations, Malaysia lags humiliatingly behind. Most in Malaysia still do not yet see the potential benefits of the internet.
Medicine is definitely becoming increasingly technology dependant. From information gathering to communication, the internet is becoming the main tool. In the future, wars could be fought and won in cyberspace. We must prepare and equip our future generations including doctors for this eventuality. We should progress further, not just setting up of webpages and online forums. We need more interactive, service providing sites. We need innovation and ideas. We need commitment in computerisation from online medical records to patient management. We need better cyberlaws.
There is much work to do. We need to spark a revolution. A revolution that brings Silicon Valley (forget about MSC) to our doorsteps. It is a dream requiring a collective mindset and determination. It entails exploration and experimentation. It involves more failures than successes. But this is how the future is created.
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