Page 36 - IJSA, Vol. 3, No 2, 2020

P. 36

International Journal of Science Annals, Vol. 3, No. 2, 2020

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

An Invisible Virus Has Made Visible

Many Underestimated Problems
in Medical Education and Research

1
Georgieva L. M. , Borisova B. V. 1

1 Medical University – Sofia, Bulgaria
Received: 25.11.2020; Accepted: 17.12.2020; Published: 20.12.2020

Keywords: medical education, research, COVID-19

DOI and UDC DOI 10.26697/ijsa.2020.2.5; UDC 37.014.5:614.441/.442

Conflict of interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests

Source of support: This study did not receive any outside funding or support

Information about Georgieva Lidia Mladenova (Corresponding Author) – https://orcid.org/0000-0002-
the authors: 9320-9203, [email protected]; Doctor of Philosophy in Medicine, MD, Professor,
Department of Social Medicine, Medical University – Sofia, Bulgaria.

Borisova Boryana Veselinova – https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9199-153X; Doctor of
Philosophy in Medicine, Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and
Management, Medical University – Sofia, Bulgaria.

Dear Editor,
In days of Global and national stress-tragedies, when The wise people have always given the formula “We are
what we considered to be a stable value is shaken, our all in God’s hands”, in crisis situations. This formula
eyes turn to a critical rethinking of the past. Today’s actually reflects a fundamental natural law – only the
reality needs more than ever not only urgent practical great Nature, of which we are a part, will save us. Even
procedures, restrictions, etc., but a very deep and unified the great Hippocrates advised the doctor: “Support the
concept and strategy based on sound philosophy and forces of nature”.
analyses. And against viruses, the greatest power of Nature is in
Evidence-based practical action is the philosophy of our ourselves – in our immune system. Yes, but caring for
behavior today. But do we have enough evidence and the nation’s immunity would be an even more difficult
what are they? This is the question that still has no task for politicians and medical professionals, because it
definite answers. implies larger measures for a rational style and standard
Medicine is rightly proud of many of its achievements. of living. But how can this happen?
But today, her pride is overshadowed by her inability to Preventive medicine has been on the periphery of the
defeat a microscopic invisible enemy of human health. minds of health policymakers, in recent decades. It is
We must be honest: it turned out that medicine is strong formally mentioned in International (World Health
in new modern technologies, but it is powerless to Organization & United Nations Children’s Fund, 2018)
manage an invisible enemy, massively threatening the and national strategies, but it is not a de facto priority
health of the Planet. It turned out that medicine is poorly and pales in comparison to the dictates of clinical
prepared for surprises – not only to meet them, but also medicine. The message of the famous Russian surgeon
to anticipate them. Nikolai Pirogov that says “the future belongs to
Medicine is an art of probability and it must permanently preventive medicine” (Komarov & Fishman, 2019;
prove the most probable predictions and the most Pirogov, 1961), wait for the future, yet.
effective actions. In the modern research and especially in medical
Now, by accident, the means used are mainly from the education is extremely underestimated the discipline of
middle of the twentieth Century, from this classic epidemiology of infectious diseases, sunk in the shadow
epidemiology that we had forgotten. But now we are not of the so-called epidemiology of non-communicable
the twentieth Century, and the media constantly diseases. For 4-5 decades, physicians have been taught
suggests to us as fateful paths “social distance” and that infectious diseases as a cause of death have gone
“social isolation”. Are these the main or only means of down in history – which was a fact for some time, but
saving the population in the 21st Century? And how will now life tells us that history is a cycle, that medical
a society live through social isolation? science is far from health prognosis.

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41