We are currently living in a decade when society in general is leaning towards modernization in terms of clothing, food, use of devices and so on. In many societies today we see lives centred around money, but unwittingly, people could be destroying their health through negligence, or, they may end up as slaves to their wealth. With wealth, progress in terms of healthcare, particularly, should follow – how we take care of ourselves and our family matter a lot.
Who doesn’t want to live a healthy life both physically and mentally? However, the goal is not as easy to achieve as we imagine as we often take things for granted until it’s too late. We should, ideally, strike a balance between our social progress and elevated health. Only then can we enjoy our wealth, for without health, wealth means nothing!
Having said that, here are 4 health trends of 2022 worth following for a fuller, more contented life.
I) Insurance: Protection for yourself and for your family
Many people, unfortunately, are still unaware of the importance of taking out insurance for themselves and their family members. They are willing to spend thousands of ringgit for lavish expenses, but spending money to buy medical insurance is simply neglected, or considered a waste of money. They may have all kinds of excuses too, in defense of their decision to buy any insurance. Without them realizing it, year after year, medical costs increase and can result in them not being able to afford seeking treatment when or if tragedy strikes.
Therefore, be wise and manage your finances to include health care as well as adequate protection in order to protect yourself and your beloved family members. This is important to ensure that you and your family experience a more comfortable, quicker service when medical treatments are required one day.
2) Medical trends in bioprinting and regenerative medicine
The medical trends of bioprinting and regenerative medicines have not actually taken off in our country. These are high tech medical treatments that aid in producing artificial organs to replace old, damaged organs in the human body. Bioprinting in medicine represents a great breakthrough for organ transplant patients who are in need of new organs, for they will no longer need to wait in line to have a potentially life-saving transplant. Bioprinting makes it possible to generate new (artificial) organs instead of having to depend on organ donors. This will make quite an impact on us, as it was found that around 10,000 patients die each year before getting a chance to have an organ transplant, due to lack of matching organ donors for their much-needed heart, liver, lung, or kidney transplant. There are also much less complications associated with artificial organ transplants.
3) Online mental care services
Lately, issues related to mental health problems are often heard and to some extent, they may even be the talk of society. Life stress factors, problems at work and issues of domestic violence are often the main causes of these problems. Yet there are some communities who take this issue lightly, or worse, make a joke of it. Sadly, many people fail to realise that what seems like a joke to them may be probable cause for another to harm themselves, or worse, commit suicide. If you yourself are suffering from emotional stress due to the pressures of life, never remain silent or hide your feelings. Instead, seek immediate treatment. Important health care issues are not only related to the physical, but they are also related to a person’s mental and emotional well -being. Today many people who suffer from emotional stress feel afraid to get out of the problems they are experiencing due to fear of being criticized by society. They are afraid to seek appropriate treatment in hospitals or treatment centers that provide services from professionals, for fear of being labeled ‘crazy’.
This kind of narrow-mindedness may cause some individuals to avoid seeking help. Nevertheless, the availability of online mental treatment services can help this group to get help. For example, you can contact counseling services such as KSK Care Center, Malaysian Relief Agency, Befrienders, Tuanku Muhriz Chancellor’s Hospital (HCTM), or Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). At the psychiatric departments of these hospitals, they are able to offer stronger moral support. A person in need of counseling can share the problems being faced by contacting the service line without having to meet face to face. This way, individuals will feel more confident and safe to talk about the problems they are facing.
4) Getting treatments at high-tech medical centers
We are fortunate to witness our health and medical system being upgraded in line with progress in various sectors in the country. Progress and modernization in the health system is important to ensure that the people/patients in this country receive services and treatment in a more conducive environment like other developed countries.
As citizens we should be able to make appropriate choices on our medical treatments to ensure the wellbeing of ourselves and our families. This is not for the sake of showing off one’s wealth by making luxury choices, but instead, it is meant to provide comfort for oneself or one’s family while seeking treatment.
Among the advanced and high-tech treatments available in Malaysia is the Hybrid Angio-CT scanning machine available at Selayang Hospital to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments and provide a baseline to perform scans on patients.
On a similar note, Sunway Medical Center Velocity won the Frost & Sullivan Excellence Awards recently and this has indirectly led to a positive reaction among the community to take wiser actions in choosing a treatment center that can offer treatment services that are more conducive.
In order to move towards becoming a developing country requires that our people have a strong identity and work together in any situation. Not only that, as a citizen living in a developed country, research from all aspects should be given emphasis, especially in the aspect of health. Many countries are able to make their countries developed due to the attitudes and actions of leaders and citizens who are concerned about medical and health issues in their countries, and we should be one of them. To be developed, especially in the area of medicine, we should be moving as fast as the world progresses. Good health is an invaluable gift and as the world progresses we deserve to enjoy more sophisticated and modern treatments to treat any ailments.
