Advances in biology are so transforming medical practice that in 50 years there will be

no hospitals in our planet

A world without hospitals sounds very weird. It is so unusual a thought that I am sure many
of us cannot even dream of such a world at this point of time. A hospital is the place where
from where the life of a person begins and sometimes his after-life too. From this point of
view, life without a hospital would be incomplete. But the question is whether biology and
sciences, in general has that magic to transform human lives in these fifty years?
Predicting the future is a tricky business. We dont even know what will happen the next day,
let aside fifty years. In an attempt to do so in the next ten minutes or so, I hope to present to
you how biology coupled with technology can shape the fate of hospitals.
1
If technology grows at the pace of population, we would probably be moving towards a nohospital earth. Pollution levels would be under control if not vanish totally. One thing that has
the potential to create such mind boggling changes is biotechnology.
Genetic engineering as well as stem cell therapy could play the lead role in steering the
course of action. Thinking about genetic engineering from a theoretical perspective reveals
an almost limitless number of potential applications related to treating diseases. From a
medical perspective, scientists envision eradication of a majority of inheritable diseases and
the need for many vaccinations.
Studies have shown that genetically engineered antibodies are more effective therapies for
a variety of diseases including various neurological disorders. Cancer genome research will
even enable the disease to be predicted even before it attacks somebody. Not far from
reality is the idea of including vaccines directly into food products. Advocates claim that
genetically engineering specific crops to deliver essential vaccines will be inexpensive,
accessible, and safe. In fact, several crops including bananas and potatoes have already
been engineered to deliver the oral vaccine for the hepatitis B virus.
(The picture you see on the left is a symbolic one. The other one shows you how
recombinant plasmid is created and is introduced into a bacterial cell. It is a very simple
representation, as you can understand.)
The world population in 2060 is estimated to be 8.6 billion. Biotechnology can however
sustain such a populous earth. Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, a 1970 recipient for the Nobel Peace
Prize, contends that biotechnology and genetic engineering are in fact necessary to continue
to feed an ever growing human population.
(By the way, the picture on the left is of Dr. Norman Borlaug-the father of the Green
Revolution. Green Revolution was a period when agriculture increased its yields due to
improved agronomic technology. It allowed developing countries, like India, to overcome
chronic food defects. The other individual is M.S. Swaminathan, widely regarded as Father
of Green Revolution in India.)
2

Nanomedicine is another promising field of medical science whose applications are

increasing more and more thanks to nanobots and biological machines, which constitute a
very useful tool to develop this area of knowledge. Nanobots will deliver medicines to
targeted cells and do away with side-effects. These could also play a significant role in
detecting early signs of diseases and thus preventing them.
At a clinical level, cancer treatment with nanomedicine will consist on the supply of
nanobots to the patient through an injection that will seek for cancerous cells leaving
untouched the healthy ones. The people who will be treated through nanomedicine will not
notice the presence of these nanomachines inside them; the only thing that is going to be
noticeable is the progressive improvement of their health.
(Here is a glimpse at how it works. The drug will be delivered to only to its target and not
anywhere else. You can see that here too. The traditional chemotherapy treatment destroys
cancerous cells as well as surrounding healthy cells resulting in various side effects. Now
with nanotechnology, you can keep the healthy cells happy and kill the cancerous cells.)
Cancer seems to something on which everybody is working on. Certainly till 2060, we would
be able to remove at least the cancer hospitals!
3
A no-hospital earth has some perquisite requirements.
Number 1: Major communicable diseases like hepatitis, cholera, tuberculosis should be
eradicated.
Number 2: The majority of the worlds population should be well educated and
Number 3: Our planet earth must be clean. A clean earth would reduce the possibilities of
epidemics and a number of other diseases.
Biology providing the backbone of a no-hospital earth, technology will add a flavor to it.
People in 2060 will not have to visit clinics for regular checkups. Instead implanted devices
will automatically monitor blood chemistry. They will stay connected with the central
database of health information and immediately alert the person if an anomaly is reported.
Every apartment and office building will have an ADAPT room (Automated Diagnosis and
Patient Treatment). Such rooms will have a health e-chair which incorporates a vast array of
biosensors to measure basic vital signs and even carry out complicated medical tests.
Based on the nature of the report, cognitive computers will come out with solutions checking
out the patients medical records, the 23 million medical papers and medical textbooks.
However it is the doctor who makes the final call. All information will automatically be
uploaded to the central research database.
(Now, I just mentioned a term-cognitive computer. But what is it actually? Cognitive
computing is the simulation of human thought processes in a computerized model. In short,
it mimics the way the human brain works. It will be much more efficient, faster and suggest
what is best for you and not just right. IBM has already developed Watson, a computer
system capable of answering questions posed in natural language. We might see its

extensive use in medicine in 2060. This is a piece of amazing technology and will make you
say those immortal lines-Elementary, my dear Watson.)
Digital tattoos as thin as two micrometers will emerge as the ultimate sensor. So people
would not have to different gadgets to measure their health data but with one very thin
digital tattoo people could measure whatever they wanted to measure.
Medical drones would be delivering supplies and medicines to conventionally unreachable
areas. These would deliver the right equipment to the right people in seconds and could
eventually replace ambulances.
DNA analysis will become a standard step when prescribing medicine or treatment, to
ensure it is personalized and optimized for that particular patients metabolic background.
This kind of specificity will make it possible to define disease in terms similar to GPS
coordinates. In 2060 it will be no big deal to talk about. It will be very obvious.
Cities, towns and even underdeveloped areas will be equipped with emergency rooms
designed for remote surgery. They will remain connected with surgeons around the world
who will carry out operations or treat the patient via a robot surgical system. Surgical
processes would be painless and the patient will need minimal post-operation recovery time.
Technology will help people to make their homes a smart hospital.
A hospital in 2060 will mean a total wastage of money, effort and time. The need for an
external hospital will be gone by 2060.
L
Now for those who are thinking that I am dreaming too much, I must tell you whatever I am
speaking is not mere fiction. These are not just predictions but I would rather like to call
them extrapolation from todays trends. These technologies have tasted recent success and
are on their way to revolutionize the medical arena. However we have to work hard to fulfil
these goals. However, we need to make sure that the future of healthcare without hospitals
is based on the human touch, is based on the partnership of patients and their care-givers
and is based on technology that can give us the best results, the best treatments and still
the best care when it comes to people.
Thank you!