At JFK, I picked
Financial Times and was drawn to an article titled, "Chances of Survival
are on the rise by Andrew Jack", who argues significant advances have been
made by scientist in the battle against the disease but victory remains elusive. Further
he says “poor quality data – in identifying cases, registering outcomes from
treatment and confirming deaths from cancer – means precise figures are
difficult. Yet estimates from 2008 suggest that, at least 12 million people
around the world contract the desease annually, 8 million die from it and
nearly 30 million are living five years after diagnosis”.
This is precisely what I
had been discussing with Prof. Noveck. How do we identify a problem as
well as solution by utilizing technology? Can we for example create a
mobile app for Cancer patients? Can the doctors be compelled to report the
data to a central data bank? How about indigenous contribution to this
knowledge? What is Africa’s future with respect to both food security as well
as safety?
