Our World Beyond Tomorrow
It is January 1, 2021.
And I am on a Zoom call, listening intently to a Doctor speak of his experience of dealing with COVID-19 patients in the United Arab Emirates. He speaks of the early days of the pandemic, the lockdown that follows and the ceaseless horror that medical professionals like himself deal with over 10 months of the pandemic. He is hopeful. He is resilient. And he believes that the best is ahead of us.
It’s my turn to ask a question.
“That’s a very balanced and informative presentation on the COVID-19 pandemic, Doctor. I would like to know the two or three things that will positively impact the way we experience healthcare in the months ahead!”
The answer will amaze you.
This pandemic has changed us for the better. The Good Doctor knows that this is a shock statement for all of us. The deserted roads. The empty cities. The endless sense of loss. The uncertain future. He knows these realities better than most of us would care to experience. He sees death and loss closer than most of us every day often losing colleagues to the pandemic. What makes the good doctor certain about this statement to us?
For one, he explains, the medical fraternity around the world began to share information freely in the race to find the vaccine that will fight the virus. Information about the virus was freely exchanged between the notoriously secretive healthcare industry.
Second, medical societies around the world dropped their high conference admission fees running into thousands of dollars, making their virtual conferences virtually free overnight. Doctors, nurses, specialists could now access these conferences learning quickly about the pandemic and helping speed up the race toward a vaccine.
Third, medical healthcare has changed forever with ‘Virtual Consulting’. A patient needs to visit a hospital only in case of an emergency. Doctors today are asking patients to stay at home with virtual consultations that can be handled at home. The medical profession that was reluctant to conduct virtual consultations now insists on it knowing that patients are safer for it.
All these trends, he concludes, has led to one great human milestone: the fastest development of a vaccine to fight a global pandemic. For the first time in living history, a global pharma leader has shared its vaccine formula for free with the Serum Institute to mass produce the COVID-19 vaccine so that it can cover the world population as soon as possible.
Let’s think about our lives now. Sharing knowledge freely. Dropping artificial barriers. Using virtual communications. What the Good Doctors said is also the story of our lives. In a time where the human spirit has risen in the face of intolerable adversity, we have triumphed despite the loss, the pain and the uncertainty of our future.
That is why I am sharing this true story with you on January 1, 2021. It tells you a comforting Truth about our World beyond Tomorrow.
