Seeing hope through Stephen Hawking
ON March 14, 2018, humanity lost one of its brightest stars in the universe. Stephen Hawking, a once-in-a-generation theoretical physicist, modern-day scientist and genius par excellence perhaps comparable only to Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton, passed away at the age of 76.
His contribution to our understanding of the universe is and will be immeasurable. Through sheer and pure brain power and might, he broke frontiers and gave us knowledge and hope to forge a better future.
And all these were imagined, conceived, explored and formulated in that beautiful mind of his while his body was confined to a wheelchair, stricken by motor neuron disease, a neurological disease that weakened his once able body and left him paralysed for life.
Hawking suffered from a rare catastrophic neurological disease with no effective cure until now.
Even though it is a rare disease, there could be hundreds of patients afflicted by it in our country as well. Without proper treatment, support and care, none of these unfortunate patients may survive for long.
And it is not just motor neuron disease that is severely debilitating; there are other rare and complex neurological diseases such as mul- tiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative, genetic metabolic and autoimmune disorders in nature that are deemed catastrophic.
A catastrophic illness is a severe illness requiring prolonged hospitalisation and/or recovery. The disease investigation is often laborious and is followed by a complicated treatment regimen and very costly medicine.
Catastrophic health expenditure refers to any expenditure for medical treatment that can threaten a household’s financial sustainability. Understandably, this causes many to seek treatment in public hospitals.
With the current healthcare sys- tem in our country, it is very difficult to get funding for medication and treatment even if they are available. Limited coverage or little attention is given to catastrophic illness.
All the stakeholders and policymakers should perhaps find a way to make the country’s healthcare system better to serve this need.
Hawking lost his voice yet he could articulate his revolutionary thoughts to us. Hopefully, his life story will lend inspiration and tenacity for us to fight for what is right for our people.