The Prayas ePathshala

Exams आसान है !

31 August 2022

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MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. Write a short note on Biosafety, its associated concerns, and solutions. (250 words)

 Paper & Topic: GS III à Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

Model Answer:

Introduction:

  • Biosecurity is described as “institutional and personal security measures meant to prevent the loss, theft, misuse, diversion, or purposeful release of viruses and toxins,” according to the World Health Organization. Biosecurity, according to the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization), is a “strategic and integrated approach” that encompasses policies and regulations that address food safety, animal and plant life, and their health, as well as associated environmental concerns. “
  • The containment concepts, technologies, and procedures that are employed to prevent unintentional exposure to diseases and poisons, or their accidental discharge,” according to the WHO.

Body:

India’s State of Preparedness:

  • In India, the ministries of health and family welfare, science and technology, and the environment ministry are the primary ministries dealing with biosecurity.
  • ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), and DRDO (Department of Research and Development) are in charge of various areas of biosecurity in India (Defence Research and Development Organization).
  • In India, biosecurity is regarded as a health and agriculture issue, hence it is mostly handled by the states.
  • The central government offers rules that the states adapt to their specific needs.
  • A National Agricultural Biosecurity Program was recommended by the National Farmers Commission, led by M S Swaminathan, in 2004.
  • The Agricultural Biosecurity Bill, introduced in 2013, seeks to establish a ‘Agricultural Biosecurity Authority,’ a high-powered authority that would oversee four areas: animal health, plant health, marine creatures, and agriculturally vital bacteria.
  • This, however, is currently awaiting approval.
  • The customs agency regulates the import of exotic pests and weeds.
  • Plants were classified as restricted, forbidden, or prohibited in India under the Plant Quarantine Order of 2003.
  • The CITES classification is also used to limit the entry of new species.
  • In India, the ICMR oversees a number of bio-safety level (BSL) labs.
  • There are 30 BSL-3 and BSL-2+ labs that are currently operational.
  • There are two BSL-4 (highest safety level) labs, one in Pune (National Institute of Virology) and the other in Bhopal (National Institute of Virology) (National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases).
  • India is a member to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), which was the first international convention to prohibit the use of an entire class of weapons in 1972.
  • The treaty has also been ratified. The convention employs ‘confidence-building mechanisms,’ such as inter-party meetings, UNSC complaints, victim aid, and so on.

Associated Concerns:

  • Biosecurity measures are not implemented uniformly in India because they are at the control of local states.
  • Given India’s vulnerability to pest incursions, even detecting an act of agro-terrorism (bioterrorism directed at the agricultural sector) let alone establishing its source will be challenging.
  • Customs officials, who have been chastised for a lack of training in this area, will halt the import of potentially invasive pests and biological agents.
  • For example, identifying the seed of a potentially invasive species among incoming travellers’ luggage.
  • Because the Destructive Insects and Pests Act of 1914 and the Livestock Importation Act of 1898 are just subsidiaries of the Customs Act of 1962, quarantine officers are effectively powerless.
  • One of the things the 2013 Biosecurity Bill aimed to change was this.
  • Since 2014, India’s biosecurity bill has been awaiting approval.
  • Also, zoonoses (such as Coronaviruses) are not taken into account.
  • Unlike many other types of national security concerns, emerging biological agents like SARS CoV 2 are impossible to predict.
  • There is also a large time lapse between discovering a viable treatment/vaccine, making the situation much more perilous.
  • Biological agents, such as viruses, have a higher rate of mutations, as well as a latency period, which makes disease identification and control more difficult.

Such biological attacks (intentional, unintentional, or natural) put the country’s defence forces in jeopardy in two ways:

  • The armed forces may be harmed and weakened by the biological agent, and their capacity to deal with conventional threats such as terrorist attacks and WMDs is diluted as resources are diverted for the domestic response, posing a security risk.
  • In light of the debate and accusations surrounding Wuhan Institute of Virology’s role in the COVID-19 incident, the challenge of distinguishing between offensive (or aggressive) and defensive (or peaceful) goals of biological agents has emerged.
  • Even mismanagement of a biosecurity issue on a local level has the potential to spread and have an international impact.
  • This necessitates international cooperation marked by transparency, credibility, and prompt action.
  • The BTWC lacks a verification regime.
  • Any country with a sufficiently established pharmaceutical sector has the potential to build a biological WMD, making the formulation of a verification framework challenging.
  • The capacity to detect and resolve such non-compliances is influenced by the speed with which an international investigation team is formed (since fresh forensic evidence is critical) and the investigative team’s access to the impacted area.
  • For example, examinations into the United States’ accusation of the Soviet Union’s use of mycotoxins in 1981 proved inconclusive.

Conclusion:

  • The COVID-19 dilemma has impacted not just India and other countries across the world, but also the country of origin.
  • It has been demonstrated that in the event of a biological war, every country would be a victim—there would be no winners.
  • The situation should serve as a stark reminder of the value of the universal biodeterrence doctrine.
  • For its part, India should improve its biosecurity system while also mobilising international collaboration to improve global biosecurity.

Q2. Write a short note on the use of disruptive technology in the healthcare sector.  (250 words)

 Paper & Topic: GS III à Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

Model Answer:

Introduction:

  • Involvement of humans in the diagnosis, treatment, and hospitalisation of infected patients increases the risk of infection.
  • Many frontline fighters fighting COVID-19, for example, have perished.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, blockchain, cloud and quantum computing, data analytics, and 5G are some of the technologies that can assist solve the problem.
  • New technologies have the potential to improve society’s well-being and lessen the effect of communicable diseases.
  • It also has the potential to lower the risk of infection among hospital employees.

Body:

Recent advancements in the application of disruptive technologies in the hospital setting:

  • Some established innovative field hospitals are deploying robots to care for COVID-19 impacted patients, according to global media sources.
  • Two Chinese hospitals are employing 5G-powered temperature measurement devices at the entry to identify patients with fever-like symptoms.
  • Smart bracelets are being utilised by some robots to measure heart rates and blood oxygen levels.
  • Finally, the Sawai Man Singh government hospital in Jaipur conducted trials with a humanoid robot to bring medicines and food to COVID-19 patients who were hospitalised.

How can new technology help to improve the hospital environment:

The technology of blockchain:

  • Blockchain technology has the potential to help with the interoperability issues that health information and technology systems confront.
  • A comprehensive indexed history of all medical data, including formal medical records and health data from mobile applications and wearable sensors, would be stored on the health blockchain.
  • In addition to assisting in smooth medical attention, this can be stored in a secure network and authenticated.

Analytical Big Data:

  • Big data analytics can significantly improve patient-centered services like early disease detection.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) are influencing healthcare applications.
  • The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is a network of medical devices, software applications, and health systems and services that are all connected.

Medical self-contained system:

  • Medical autonomous systems have the potential to significantly improve health care delivery, and their applications are focused on assisting medical care delivery in scattered and complex situations using futuristic technologies.
  • Other autonomous interventional procedures that may be included in this system include autonomous critical care, autonomous intubation, autonomous cricothyrotomy, and other autonomous interventional procedures.

Computing in the cloud:

  • Cloud computing is another application that allows doctors, departments, and even institutions and medical providers to collaborate and share data in order to deliver the best possible therapy.

Challenges and Next Steps:

  • Standardization of health data, organisational silos, data security and privacy, as well as costly investments, are all potential roadblocks in this attempt.

How Technology acts as a Tool for Universal Health Coverage:

  • Universal health coverage (UHC) is a powerful social equaliser and the ultimate expression of fairness, according to the World Health Organization.
  • According to WHO research, a lack of coordination might lead to stand-alone information and communication technology solutions.
  • India must take ownership of its digital health strategy in order to achieve universal health coverage and person-centered care.
  • A policy like this should stress the ethical appropriateness of digital technology, bridge the digital divide, and ensure economic inclusion.
  • ‘Ayushman Bharat’ and instruments like information and communication technology might be fine-tuned to work with this plan to improve population protection.
  • An important component of such a strategy should include online consultation.

Making use of local knowledge:

  • An effective national response must draw on local expertise in addition to efficient national policies and robust health systems.
  • In India, primary health care centres might look at local/traditional knowledge and experience and combine it with modern technologies.

Conclusion:

  • The first steps in this direction should include synchronisation and integration, the development of a data-sharing template, and the reengineering of many of the medical sector’s institutional and structural arrangements.
  • In the health sector, big data applications should assist hospitals provide the best care at a lower cost, create a fair playing field for all sectors, and encourage competition.
  • India’s efforts in this regard should include synchronisation and integration, the development of a template for data sharing, and the reengineering of many of the medical sector’s institutional and structural arrangements.

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