Center for Research in Conventional &Integrated Medicine
(CRICIM)
PROJECT REPORT
By
Dr. Sameerkumar S. Shah
M.B.B.S.,Research Fellow In Radiology
Principal Investigator: Early detection of Cancer using HBF Imaging
Arihant market,589,Laxmi Road,Pune,Maharashtra-INDIA.
Phones-Off: 91-20-24452695 ,Resi : 91-20-24471555
Email: drsameershah2004@rediffmail.com
Contents
Excutive Summary
Chapters
1.Role of Conventional Medicine(CM),Integrated Medicine(IM) and Bio-medical research and their importance to the society.
2.Status of medical research , training and services in India.
3.Setting up Center for Research in Conventional &Integrated Medicine:Vision , Mission and Strategy.
4.Academic,Research and Patient care facilities and other activities.
5.Faculty, Staff, Students and Management
6.Location
7.Infrastructure,Equipment and other requirements.
Executive Summary
Health is one of the most important aspect of human life.The history of Medicine tells us how people have put efforts to study the human health and related sciences and developed the branch of Medicine.Today we practice the Conventional Medicine on a larger scale and the branch of alternative medicine is getting the popularity.But Integrated Medicine was practiced even in ancient times and was popular among many civilizations in India,China,Egypt and Greece.
What is Integrated medicine ? Integrated medicine is practising medicine in a way that selectively incorporates elements of complementary and alternative medicine into comprehensive treatment plans alongside solidly orthodox methods of diagnosis and treatment. Integrated medicine is not simply a synonym for complementary medicine. Complementary medicine refers to treatments that may be used as adjuncts to conventional treatment and are not usually taught in medical schools. Integrated medicine has a larger meaning and mission, its focus being on health and healing rather than disease and treatment.
There is a debate between Conventional medicine and the Alternative medicine. People for the Alternative medicine feel that Conventional medicine has become dependent on expensive technological solutions to health problems, even when they are not particularly effective. In its enthusiasm for technology, it has turned its back on holism and simple methods of intervention.On the other hand those for the Conventional ones feel that Alternative therapies have little direct scientific evidence,have many claims only and will have to prove themselves.Inspite of this US expenditure on complementary medicine is $40 billion a year and about 40% general practices in the UK provide some complementary medicine services.We need to provide more attention today than ever before so as to maintain the quality of these services and promote research in this field.
We need to have a midway approach of Integrated medicine and bring all the branches of medicine under a single roof for research, training and to provide integrated healthcare services with adequate research based practice of alternative therapies.Research is an important step for the same.21st Century will be the century of knowledge and its utilization for human upliftment and welfare. In the emerging global scenario the competitive advantage of a nation is determined by its research and development capability.Health sector is no exception to it.
Although knowledge is widely available research requires good institutes , trained manpower and a permanent source of funds. We have to make substantial provisions of all these for the medical field to continue to reap benefits of R&D in Biomedical Research.The medical field has grown by leaps and bounds and R&D has played the major roll in the same. India has inherent advantage in the R& D sector because of availability of trained manpower at low costs. Research in Integrated Medicine can be undertaken with many more Ayurvedic drugs,etc. because of rich tradition of practicing and imparting knowledge of Ayurveda.Yet there are weaknesses. The research productivity of India is very low as compared to the developed nations. We are not able to attract young talent for Bio-medical research. We need to address the challenges that this field faces on priority basis. As fields of medical education, research and services are closely interrelated and inter dependent, there should be improvement among all the three fields simultaneously.
Considering this background Center for Research in Conventional &Integrated Medicine has been planned at Pune city of India- the city known for its academic and cultural excellence since decades.The center will bring all the branches of medicine under a single roof for research,advanced training and to provide integrated healthcare services with adequate research in these modalities. For the same highly skilled consultants,experts and scientists will be appointed on full time or part time basis.
The center will have flexible and responsive academic structures and the integration will be achieved in terms of time and discipline, education, learning , exploration, creativity and research. The institute would attract brightest students, teachers and scientists from all over the world in the form of joint appointments, core faculty, visiting scientists and adjunct from industry .
Diagnostic and treatment facilities of Conventional and Alternative therapies will be provided to the patients using modern techniques which are unavailable and unaffordable to the needy people. The patients can utilize the healthcare services of highly skilled doctors from India and other countries who are constantly in touch with the research based results of various Conventional and Complementary therapies like Ayurveda.This will be a major service offered by the institute and is essentially required considering the high cost of modern techniques in developing countries. Expertise are poorly available in rural areas where tele-medicine facilities will be provided.Health education to the patients and the people in general is necessary and will be imparted to them by arranging guest lectures,slide shows,interactive sessions
The research in Conventional and Alternative therapies will lead to development of new drugs ant treatment modalities which will be entirely evidence based.A database of research results will be prepared which will guide the doctors to practice the Evidence Based Integrated Medicineglobally. R&D will be made a global phenomenon by interfacing with other research and training institutes,medical agencies and industry protecting the interests of innovators.
Although, the center will be raised using grants and donations in the beginning,it will be self-sustained in near future.This will be achieved by increasing the sources of income to the institute without harming the interest of the patients from economically weaker section of the society.The various sources or modes of income for recurring and non-recurring expenditure would be:consultation fees,service charges of the healthcare services,tution fees from academic activities,income from research and knowledge outsourcing contracts-$10 billion (2004-05) global industry is growing at 20 per cent,interest on bank deposits and other investments,income from the immovable property of the institute(e.g.rent and deposit),charges from the service providers like cafeteria.(other than medical services).The equipments,medicines,etc. received for research can be used further to provide the diagnostic and therapeutic services to the patients,thus saving the additional expenditure on equipments.Same is true for other research grants.This policy will set an excellent example of integration of research and medical services to benefit the needy ones.The consultation and service charges would be bare minimum for the economically weaker ones.
The campus of the institute shall have an O.P.D.(Out Patients Department)health education center,academic wing, research wing, information resourse center cum library, administrative and residential facilities.A fitness club,cafeteria, auditorium or a seminar hall,entertainment facilities, etc. facilities will be provided. Expertise are poorly available in rural areas where tele-diagnostic/medicine facilities can play a major role.
Discovery is the greatest and the most effective form of teaching, and learning and teaching are adventure in discovery.This institute will lay stress on acquisition of knowledge and ability in the field of Medicine to use that knowledge to solve health problems of the people worldwide.
Chapter # 1
Role of Conventional Medicine(CM),Integrated Medicine(IM) and Bio-medical research and their importance to the society.
R&D in Conventional Medicine(CM) occupies a center-stage in restoration of health and has prevented many deaths and at times wiping out the human race. eg. discovery of antibiotics and vaccines,dignostic tools like X-Ray imaging,etc. The life expectancy is increased and the quality of life is improved due to the discovery of many drugs and other diagnostic and treatment modalities. R&D should be considered on priority basis in medical field because of the challenges posed by the diseases like AIDS. In addition to that there are many new diseases coming up. Inspite of that Conventional Medicine is not able to answer many questions raised in the form of challenges of newer diseases,and Integrated Medicine (IM)can play a major role with research on a larger scale in well co-ordinated manner and with a neutral approach of the medical fraternity.
Although Bio-medical research is being undertaken in many institutes in India,the existing system should provide opportunity to all those innovative ideas which have a potential to become successful so as to benefit the people. This is not possible many times on account of unavailability of infrastructure, funds , freedom to the scientists etc. Indians are traditionally recognized world over for there best analytical minds. But this reach human resource should be provided every opportunity they need, so that they can provide better alternatives in healthcare to the people. R&D thus provides direct benefits to the people and the industry in many ways. Many multinational companies are setting up R&D centers and are increasing the expenditure on research. Intellectual property is directly converted in to wealth which can be used for development of health and other sectors by the nation.
IM has played an important role in revolutionizing the management and outcome of a disease. Simple and in-expensive treatment modalities is a gift of Integrated Medicine to the mankind and that proves its importance equivalent to other areas of medical field .This has made a significant impact on health economy of many nations and has imrove quality of life.
Thus CM,IM and research are of immense importance to the society both directly and indirectly.
Chapter # 2
Status of medical research , training and services in India :
India has many research and academic institutes run mainly by the government. Institutes are many number but very few have the quality as per the international standards and many are poorly staffed and over-crowded. The infrastructure is average and more freedom to young scientists is needed. This system does not excite the curiosity of young researcher and does not nurture creativity and innovativeness. The integration of research , training and healthcare services is very rare.The role model of research adapted by developed countries is necessary.
The academic and research programmes in medical field are poorly co-ordinated.The thesis by the postgraduate students is completed just because it is compulsory and most projects are mere repetition of a studies done earlier.The originality in the research is rare thereby leading to unproductive research which does not yield any significant or revolutionary results-making little or no impact on the health problems of the people.
Researchers with new ideas have to sacrifice their medical profession and join some institute as a full time research assistant or a fellow with low renumeration.So the balance between professional medical practice and research career cant be established in India which is possible in many foreign countries.Manytimes the original idea is taken away by the guides and the research is published in their name.There is no flexibility in work schedule and little freedom to design and implement a research programme in many of the institutes.This does not attract medical professionals to choose research as a career.The postgraduate training also suffers to a major extent.Poor library and infrastructure facilities,unavailability of dedicated teachers , poor strength of paramedical staff -taking away the valuable time of trainees for unproductive work e.g.drafting notes,etc. These are some of the reasons for poor quality of advanced training.
The quality of healthcare facilities varies among private,charitable and Government institutes.Overall strict quality control is necessary in smaller cities.This is particularly necessary in a developing country like India where cost is a major limiting factor to seek medical help in the form of consultation,investigation or treatment.This is worse for IM services.Un-authentic practice of herbal medicines and large number of quacks are in practice which is estimated to be about $ 2 billion.
India has very few contributions towards research in Bio-medical sciences as compared to the developed countries.Most of the inventions have been contributed by developed countries.eg.vaccines,drugs,CT Scan,MRI,PET Scan,etc.The reason is not that the talented and dedicated researchers are not available in India.The reason is lack of promotive environment.
Chapter # 3
Setting up Center for Research in Conventional &Integrated Medicine
:Vision , Mission and Strategy
The task of improving the overall research ,training and service activities in medical field is stupendous.We need centers,departments and institutes to be raised by the visionary leaders considering the challenges posed by the current situation.With this background we have planned to set up Center for Research in Conventional &Integrated Medicine
The overall Mission and Strategy is summarized below :
1.To impart quality training (especially for research)in various branches of Medicine including Alternative Medicine and allied sciences by undertaking many activities like academic projects and programmes.
2.To focus primarily on research in CM and IM thereby improving the existing treatment modalities, diagnostic tests as well as developing new drugs and treatment modalities independently or in association with other centers /institutes.
3.To provide avenues and opportunities for those interested in research in CM and IM improve their knowledge and skill on a continuing basis.
4.To identify,motivate,nurture and nourish the talented to pursue research and practice in CM and IM as a career.
5.To devise strategies to retain the best in research in CM and IM.
6.To involve research institutes in the same and related fields,research agencies and the corporate sector globally to attain the objectives and goals of the institute.
7.To propogate the concept of quality control and safe practice in the CM and IM in India and worldwide.
8.To organize conferences seminars,conferences,workshops and such other activities for the dissemination of knowledge and to promote research and other activities. To provide a Web site and printed publications for promotion of CM and IM.
9.To take all possible steps to utilize the knowledge and results of research for the service of the people keeping in mind to protect the interests of the researchers and give them adequate benefits of it.To prevent excessive commercial exploitation of research outputs(drug,etc.) attempting to make it available to poor and needy ones at an affordable cost.
10.To undertake collaborative research projects and student and faculty exchange amongst centers and institutes from India and abroad,mission oriented agencies,governement agencies and industry.
11.To integrate scientifically proven Alternative Medicine(AM) practices into Conventional Medicine, announce published research results; study ways to integrate evidence-based AM practices into conventional medical practice; and support programs to develop models for incorporating AM into the curriculum of medical, dental, and nursing schools.
12. Encouragment of research awareness, through the establishment of a research forum for healthcare professionals and researchers from all disciplines.
13.To provide the healthcare services which are unavailable in that area /city.To promote health education among the people.
14.To plan for and provide newer progrmmes like grading of the healthcare services.
16.Establish Colleges imparting fellowships and degrees e.g.Royal Colleges in U.K.
This will be the Center for Excellence for research in healthcare in general and occupy ,in the near future, prestigious position in the world.
The mission oriented R.&D activities will be planned and well co-ordinated and they will be sponsored by industry.The faculty will be encouraged to evolve prductive and strategic alliances with the global institutes and agencies which are like-minded.
The spirit of innovation,creativity,excellence and service should remain the guiding spirit of this institute.
Chapter # 4
Academic,Research and Patient care facilities and other activities.
All the facilities will be of international standards and the center will try its best to retain the standards of academic , research and patient care services.
The learning environment:
The structure of the training programmes will be flexible to provide freedom to the candidates so as to make them competent to take-up the challenging research programmes simultaneously while being trained at the center and in future. This training will help them to become global leaders in their fields of study.
The course will have emphasis on acquisition of latest knowledge and to develop competence in related techniques.Demonstrations, lectures and tutorials will be interactive.The curricula will be designed in consultation with the experts and the students.
The library facilities will include not only books,journals,periodicals but also a digitalLibrary.Internet facilities with large number of academic and research databases will be provided..
Academic Programmes :
The institute will impart advanced training in purely academic programmes and the research oriented programmes.The disciplines included are:
*Allopathy
*Homeopathy
*Ayurveda
*Dentistry
A number of postgraduate programmes offering masters degree like M.D.in concerned speciality(e.g.Radiology) Equivalent programmes like D.N.B or Royal College Fellowships can be considered. Alternative Medicine and Integrated Medicine will not be an exception to this.
Various short term training programmes(e.g.Ultrasound,FNAC training,Tele-Medicine,IM and AM) to develop and acquire skill and impart knowledge will be offered.
Training programmes for Para-medical and Basic Sciences related to Medicine
Training Fellowships.
Continuing Education Programmes.
Research Programmes
Open-ended investigations and projects will be promoted and preferred rather than stereotyped projects with known results.Creative research atmosphere of the center will attract the researchers globally.R & D activities will be linked with the industry for its immediate application.All facilities like equipments will be provided.Clinical trials of drugs ,medicinal combinations will be undertaken by the institute as intramural research and extramural projects from industry ,orgnizations and agencies worldwide will be accepted on contract basis or otherwise.
Emphasis will be on programmes to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques (e.g Human Bio-field Imaging techniques,herbal drugs) and to improve the available ones.
Any candidate with adequate knowledge of the subject irrespective of his qualification or academic performance will be permitted to join the institute on full time or part time basis.
A large number of Research fellowships will be offered to the candidates globally.
Research divisions allied to medicine:
Medical Physics
Biophysics
Bio-technology
Pharmacology
Electronics Engineering
Bio-medical Engineering
Optical Engineering
Software Engineering
Other branches as and when required.
*OPD consultation in all the branches of medicine and allied branches.
*Pharmacy
*Cafeteria
*Ambulance services will be well equipped .
Medical expertise are poorly available in rural areas in India where tele-medicine facilities can play a major role.Center will provide these facilities to the remote areas of India and possibly extend the services to nearby countries where the healthcare infrastructure is poor.
The center will offer services in diagnostic facilities in
Radiology
Pathology
Laboratory Medicine
Microbiology in the beginning and the following Departments will offer OPD and other services in near future:
General medicine
Cardiology
Chest Medicine
Neurology
Gastrointestinal Medicine
Nephrology
Endocrinology
Medical Oncology
Dermatology
Cosmetology
Venereology
AIDS Medicine
Sexual Medicine
Geriatric medicine
Paediatrics
Neonatology
Nuclear Medicine
General Surgery
Neuro-Surgery
Cardio-Thoracic Surgery
GI-Surgery
Uro-surgery
Plastic Surgery
Oral and Maxill-ofacial Surgery
Onco-Surgery
Orthopaedics
Obstetrics
Gynaecology
Fetal Medicine
Psychiatry
Physiotherapy
Rehabilitation Medicine
Ophthalmology
Otorhinolaryngology
Alternative Medicine(all branches)
Therapies include herbal medicine, Chinese medicine, Chiropratic, Naturopathy, Osteopathy, Acupuncture, Homoeopathy, Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Alexander technique, Bach and other flower remedies, Massage, Hypnotherapy, Shiatsu, Ayurvedic Medicine, Nutritional Medicine, Yoga, Anthroposophical Medicine, Spiritual healing, Iridology, Kinesiology, Meditation,Music Therapy,Color Therapy and others.
Other programmes :
Grading and accreditation of healthcare service providers along with a database:
This project will establish a large and informative database of various healthcare service providers in India and is planned to extend it further for global destinations.These include institutes,hospitals,centers as well as doctors,nursing staff,paramedical staff,etc.mentioning their experience in medical practice,areas of academic or research interest,and many other details.This will help the patients to choose the hospital or a consultants as per their experience,etc.The researchers will be able to interact with the likeminded scientists easily .This project will convert the world into a small health village making it simple and easy to utilize all kinds of healthcare services thus prompting medical tourism.
Database of Images and Text in Medical Practice and Academics
Although,there are many databases available ,none of them is complete in itself.each database has its own merits and de-merits.To overcome this problem a new database is planned for.
This will be a major project assigned to various students,consultants, institutes,centers and departments with the institute playing a central role.
A large software database of images of slides,X-ray images,MRI imagesPatient pictures,etc. will be prepared with relevant text for reference.A Normal picture will be flanked by for comparison.This will be prepared by students,consultants, institutes,centers and departments globally and submitted to the Head quarter i.e. our institue where it will be organized and displayed to all those in healthcarefor reference ,etc.
Museum of Health :
It is planned to educate the people using paintings,posters,slide shows,etc. regarding the various aspects of health.Also,the same musem will depict the history of medicine,various discoveries,scientists,medical educationists in medical and related fields,and inspire the students and researchers working for the institute and those visiting it.
Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants:
A garden having all the plants of medical importance is planned.It also includes the Ayurvedic and other herbs. An attempt will be made to preserve the rarely encountered medicinal plants to prevent their extinction.Research center will attempt to preserve them using various techniques like tissue culture.They will be in touch with the native people of the concerned area which is the natural habitat of the herb.
Research in Human Bio-field Imaging/Detection:
This is an important part of research programme.The Human-Biofield imaging research is planned to suspect cancers and other diseases in early stages.
This project can develop new cancer screening technique revolutionizing the mangement and outcome of cancers.Such manymore projects will be planned.
Chapter # 5
Faculty ,Staff, Students and Management
Total number of consultants available will be (for patient consultation)60
Total number of faculty will be 10
Total number of paramedical and technical staff 20
Total number of administrative and supportive staff will be 10
Total Faculty and Staff will be 100
Total number of trainees/students and researchers enrolled/associated will be 20(for various research/academic programmes)
Management:
The managenent structure should :
Be capable of fostering partnership with research institutes and industry to keep the institute dynamic and innovative.
Efficent in decesion making to respond quickly to the changes taking place all around especially in academics and research.
Be capable of maintaining the standards of patient care services offered by the institute.
The management structure :
The Director of the Institute
The Registrar/Administrative Officer
The Academic council
The Ethical Committee/Research Committee
The Consultants Panel
The pay scale and method of appointment will be decided from time to time.
(The structure of the management may change from time to time.)
Chapter # 6
Location
The Center for Research in Conventional and Integrated Medicine will be located at Pune city of Maharashtra State, India.
The city is one of the most important educational cities in India also known as Cambridge of east.Located about 190 km from Mumbai towards South-East.It has a unique location bringing many people to the city for various activities including that for healthcare servises.The city has a population of about 2.5 million.
It has many hospitals.The city has many Engineering and Colleges for training in Basic Sciences .Also,the Pune University is famous for its role in academics globally.
This makes the Pune city an ideal location for the institute.
Chapter # 7
Infrastructure, Equipment and other requirements
The Land about 2 acres
The institute will require following infrastructure :
Space Requirements (for)
OPD(Out Patient Department) Block
Administrative Building
Academic and Research Buildings
Computer Center
Auditorium/Seminar Room
Activities center/Cafeteria
Residential Complex
Student Hostels
Housing Units/Flats 4 in number
Guest House
Gymnasium
Construction and Boundary wall
Water drainage,landscaping,horticulture,etc.
Electricity,Gen-sets,external lighting, Air Conditioning
Water Supply,water treatment,sewerage,etc.
Equipment requirements
Considering the wear and tear of the machines and devices for diagnostic,treatment and research purposes ,the average utility period of equipments and instruments is considered 10 years and for minor instruments is 5 years.Also,the technology advances and the purchase of new technology is necessary after a certain period. This is considered five years for diagnostics.The provisions are considered for 10 years.
Diagnostic equipments
Research equipments
Therapeutic equipments
Other facilities
Computer Softwares
Accessories/Databases
Library books
Optical fibre networking
Furniture&Other expences
Recurring Costs:
Research project costs a major contribution for research about 50%
Pay and allowances
Outsourcing Expences
Real estate maintainance
Equipment maintainance
Dept. expences/travel/vehicles
Administrative Expences
Water/Electricity/ Phone
and Service Charges
The overall policy regarding financial matters and other requirements:
The center requires a constant source of funds for its functioning.There shall be all attempts to balance the income and expenditure of the center.Although, the center will be raised using grants and donations in the beginning,it will be self-sustained in near future.This will be achieved by increasing the sources of income to the institute without harming the interest of the patients from economically weaker section of the society.
The various sources or modes of income for recurring and non-recurring expenditure would be:consultation fees,service charges of other healthcare services,tution fees from academic activities,income from research and knowledge outsourcing contracts-$10 billion (2004-05) global industry is growing at 20 per cent,interest on bank deposits and other investments,income from the immovable property of the center (e.g.rent and deposit),charges from the service providers like cafeteria.(other than medical services).
The equipments,medicines,etc. received for research can be used further to provide the diagnostic and therapeutic services to the patients,thus saving the additional expenditure on equipments.Same is true for other research grants.This policy will set an excellent example of integration of research and medical services to benefit the needy ones.
The policies of the center have the potential to make it financially self-sustained in near future.
———————–
Cost-Benefit Analysis-
Benefits of HBF Imaging for cancer detection
By
Siddhartha Mitra,Faculty Member,Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics(Deemed to be a University),Pune-411004(India)and Dr.Sameerkumar Shah, M.B.B.S.,Research Fellow in Radiology (UNESCO),Chief Investigator-early cancer detection using HBF imaging.————————————————————————————————
Cancer has many costs. However, these costs fall under two categories pecuniary and non pecuniary (suffering from cancer, loss of self esteem etc). Pecuniary costs or monetary costs of cancer care in turn can be classified into a) costs of palliative care and b) costs of cancer cure. In this paper we talk about the cost effectiveness of a possible wide spectrum method of early detection of cancer called Human Bio-electromagnetic field (HBF) Imaging. This has an advantage over methods which are restricted to a single type of cancer as only many such tests can rule out cancer all together. There are three possible benefits from this broad spectrum method – (a) some treatment costs are saved (b) some palliative costs are saved and (c) productive years of the lives of potential cancer patients are saved.
In 1996 the total cost of cancer care in the U.S. was 100 billion dollars (Lyman et. al. , 1998). In 1998 it was 144 billion ( Elixhauser A, Halpern M, 1999). According to the United States Cancer Statistics 1999-2002, the incidence rate of cancer was 498.3 per 100, 000. This is obtained by summing the data on incidence of different types of cancer.
Taking into account the increase in population during this two year period and assuming incidence rate to be fixed at 498.3 for both 1996 and 1998, calculations reveal that the per capita expenditure on cancer care rose from $74327 to $ 103208. The annual rate of increase in the period 1996-98 is therefore 17.8%. If this trend continues till the present date then the per capita expenditure on cancer care should be $ 382715, assuming the incidence rate to be constant in the intervening period.
The reader should note that the massive estimated increase in the period 1996-2006 of $208,000 contains an inflationary component as well as a qualitative component. In this paper we shall not attempt to separate the two.
GLOBOCAN 2002 reports that there were 24.6 million cases of cancer in the world in 2002. If we assume the per capita expenditure on a cancer patient to be equal to that projected for the United States in 2006($ 382715) then the total expenditure on cancer care in the world would be $ 9414 billion. Conservative estimates of savings in palliative care and cancer treatment should not put the magnitude of savings at less than 10% of this amount, $ 941.4. billion. However, there is another source of benefit from HBF imaging the monetary value of productive years of the lives of potential patients saved valued at the wage rate. For the sake of convenience, we use the American wage of $5.15. This is not as large as we might think as the incidence of cancer is concentrated mostly in people aged over sixty.
Given that the U.S. is our base case we assume that the age distribution to be the same in percentage terms as the U.S. (data provided by U.S. Census Bureau). Data on age specific rates of cancer are provided by U.S. Cancer Statistics. ( United States Cancer Statistics: 19992002).
Using these two pieces of data we can work out the percentage share of any age group in the incidence of cancer. We then assume a retirement age of 60 and a recovery period of 5 years to work out the number of productive years saved in each group through early detection. Using the percentages as weights helps us to arrive at the mean number of years per patient saved through early detection. This number multiplied by the success probability of HBF imaging should yield the expected number of years saved through HBF imaging per potential cancer sufferer, provided screening is done for all humans.
Given that 80% of cancer cases in developing countries and 50% in developed countries suffer from late detection we can assume a global average of around 70%. Given our earlier approximation of late detection as 70% and assuming HBF to work in only 50% of these cases, we can conclude that HBF saves productive years in a patients life in 35% of the cases.
Our estimate for the number of productive life years saved per cancer patient is .491 productive life year per capita and 12.08 million productive life years in the aggregate, given 24.6 million cancer patients. At a minimum wage of $ 5.15 per hour (American minimum wage) per day for 250 days a year this amounts to earnings of 43.5 billion dollars. Adding this benefit to the savings in palliative treatment yields a total of $ 984. 9 billion in benefits.
Now let us look at the costs of HBF imaging. The upper bound on price is $ 7000. Assuming that 40, 000 people can be screened by one machine (200 patients for 200 days a year) the capital costs should be 1.1 billion dollars only. At a variable cost of 3 dollars per screening the cost of screening the entire world population of 6570 million people should be 19.7 billion dollars. The total cost is therefore 20.8 billion dollars. In the initial year the benefit to costs ratio involves both the variable as well as fixed costs and is equal to 47.35. In years in which there is no investment in machines it is 50.
|
Number of patients(in million) per year (I) |
Proportion of patients reduced through HBF (II) |
Number of patients reduced in million s (III= I *II) |
Productive life years saved in millions (IV=.491*III) |
Value of productive years saved in Rs. billion (V=IV*5.15*8*250) |
|
22.6 |
0.35 |
8.61 |
4.22 |
43.5 (A) |
|
World Population (millions) |
Per capita projected expenditure |
Total expenditure on cancer care in billions of dollars |
|
Savings in total expenditure of cancer care in billions of dollars |
|
6750 |
$ 382715 |
9414 |
|
941.4 (B) |
|
|
|
|
|
Total benefits from HBF Imaging |
|
|
|
|
|
984.9 (A+B) |
|
World Population (millions) |
Cost per machine ($) |
Population served by single machine (million ) |
|
Total fixed costs (billion dollars)= {(67500/0.04)*7000}/ 1,000,000,000 (V) |
|
6750 |
7000 |
0.04 |
|
1.1 |
|
World Population (millions) |
Variable costs per unit ($) |
|
|
Total variable costs in billion dollars (VI) |
|
6750 |
3 |
|
|
19.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
Total costs (V+VI) |
|
|
|
|
|
20.8 |
Total benefits from HBF Imaging (per year) US$ 984.9 billion
Total costs incurred for screening the target population
(per year) US$ 20.8 billion
The cost-benefit analysis is in the favor of the project(HBF imaging) and its implementation as a cancer screening technique.
———————-
Outline of the Project:
The Human Bio-Field(HBF) imaging as a single,non-invasive and easily transportable technique for early cancer detection so as to reduce the expenditure of cancer management.
Dr. Sameerkumar S. Shah M.B.B.S.,Research Fellow In Radiology(UNESCO), Arihant Market,589,Sadashiv Peth,Laxmi Road,Pune-411030.INDIA.Phone:91-20-24471555,91-2024452695,Cell:9226429339.Email:doctorshah2005@yahoo.com
Introduction:Early detection can significantly change the outcome of cancer hoping for a cure.Cancer screening is an important method for early detection.
The project details:
Title:To develop HBF imaging technique for early cancer detection.
Application: To detect the commonly encountered cancers by screening the target population-a.about 2 years prior the stage of progression
b.when the size of the tumor is ~ 2mm,c. much prior the signs and symptoms appear in an individual.
Impact:Early detection can reduce the morbidity,mortality and expenditure on cancer management.Similar application for other diseases is possible.
Cost/Effectiveness analysis : states that the reduction of the global annual expenditure on cancer management by ~ US$ 3 to 4 billion.
Unique features: Single technique to detect the cancer at any site as compared to different techniques to screen various types of cancers.
Simple to use,filmless imaging,can be used at the periphery without an expertise to interpret the images,easily transportable and inexpensive.
Proposed cost of the device US$ 5000 to 7000
Cost per investigation US$ 2 to 3
Duration of the project 3-5 years.
The principle of the technique:
Abnormal signs in Human Bio-Field (HBF)can be detected as early as 2-3 years prior to stage of progression of a cancerous tumor.Human Bio-Field (HBF) is associated with the cells,tissues,the organs of the human body and is a complex structure with electrostatic, magnetic, electromagnetic, ultrasonic, thermal and visual components,all interlacing with each other.Detection of these signs is the principle. The concept is a part of Energy Medicine.
The beneficiaries:
1.The cancer patients.
2.The Insurance Companies offering Health Insurance Products.
3.Agencie and organizations which support the cancer patients by financial or other means.
Credentials of the project:
The project has been appreciated by the experts from
Indian Council for Medical Research
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research,Govt. of India.
Dept. of Science and Technology,Govt. of India.
Defense Research and Development Organization,Govt. of India.
All India Inst.of Medical Sciences,New Delhi,India.
Sri Chitra Thirunal Inst.of Medical Sciences,Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala,India.
Jawaharlal Nehru Inst. of Postgraduate Medicine and Research,Pondicherry,India.
Indian Institute of Technology,Delhi.
The experts in Energy Medicine Dr.Barbara Brennan,Ex-Physicist from NASA,USA and Dr.Norman Shealy,USA have encouraged the approach of this research project.
UNESCO(India) has recommended the training necessary for the research considering the possible impact of the project on cancer management.
Previous projects on the concept:
Cuzick, Jack, et al. Electropotential measurements as a new diagnostic modality for breast cancer. The Lancet, Vol. 352, August 1, 1998, pp. 359- 63 LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM. http://www.obgyn.net/newsheadlines/womens_health-Breast_Cancer-20030126-3.aspBiofield Diagnostic System can provide accurate information as to whether an abnormal palpable breast mass is cancerous or not and can be used to reliably rule out malignant disease with a negative predictive value as high as 99.1 per cent.
Limitation of the previous study:Can detect only superficial tumors and the palpable breast lesions.Has no prognostic value.Different devices for different sites and types of cancer.
We can overcome these limitations in our project.
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Policy for Integration:
Integration of biomedical research,healthcare services and academic training a revolutionary approach useful for all the sectors.
21st century will be the century of knowledge and its utilization for human upliftment and welfare. In the emerging global scenario the competitive advantage of a nation is determined by its research and development capability.Health sector is no exception to it. The medical field has grown by leaps and bounds and R&D has played the major role. Although knowledge is widely available research requires good institutes,trained manpower and a permanent source of funds. Substantial provisions of all these are necessary to reap the benefits of Biomedical Research.A short term,intermediate term and long-term planning involving industry,private and public sectors is warranted.
Healthcare services,biomedical research and academic training is dominated by of one or other sector in developing countries.e.g.in a developing country like India it is by the government-putting the burden on that sector mainly.The health sector in many countries is considered as non-productive and the expenditure on it is thought to be without any direct economic benefits.This results in lesser provision of funds in the annual budget of a nation with the obvious negative effects .The healthcare institutes or centers although could be many in numbers but very few provide healthcare services as per the international standards and many are poorly staffed and over-crowded. The infrastructure is average and more freedom to young scientists and students is needed to improve the quality of research and healthcare services.This system does not excite the curiosity of young researcher and does not nurture creativity and innovativeness.
The integration of research , training and healthcare services with a regular interaction with the industry is very much successful and should be the backbone of the policies in biomedical research.This model can be extremely useful for an organization(e.g. university) from any of the sector.Investment for R and D is considered to be risky.But, the other side of the coin is that even if the success rate of the projects is just 10%(of the total number of projects),one can recover all the investment and even gain profits-thus further increasing the capacity to invest and take risks.One can upgrade the infrastructure in the institute for research using these funds. The same facility can be used for the patients,also helping the students to learn the skill to operate these equipments.Special academic training programmes(e.g.fellowships,etc.) can be started and the candidates can be attracted from the regions of the world where the concerned facilities for training are not available-academic programmes can generate revenues for the institute.The surplus funds in the organization can be used to support the students and patients with poor economic status.
Thus implementation of this policy can benefit all the classes of society catering their health needs.The research resulting develop new modalities of diagnosis and treatment saving millions of lives and can generate wealth for the organization.Talent available in developing nations in association with the support in the form of funds and other resources from the developed nations can transform the entire scenario of healthcare in the world.Can we afford to neglect the importance and necessity of greater co-operation between the like minded organizations/indivisuals?
-Dr. Sameerkumar S. Shah
doctorshah2005@yahoo.com