What do you think is the biggest issue facing the world today, and

what do you intend to do about it?

Seventeen years, ten months, and twenty one days ago, a thirty five year old woman
was rushed into the OR at Sewickley Valley Hospital for an emergency cesarean section. She
had suffered a severe placental abruption six and a half weeks before the projected due date of
her first child, and her condition, as well as her childs, was quickly deteriorating. After a tense
operation, doctors informed a nervous father that both his wife and new daughter had survived,
but confirmed that if they had not been in a hospital setting, the two lives would have almost
surely been lost.
Thanks to modern medicine and immediate medical attention, my mother and I survived
and fully recovered from our traumatic ordeal. But far too many people around the world are not
so lucky. Too often, we take for granted how fortunate we are to live in a country like the United
States where we constantly have access to a hospital or medical clinic that can instantly provide
us with the medication and medical attention we need. However, this is a convenience that
much of the world does not know. The most important concern facing humanity today is the lack
of adequate medical care available to people around the globe and the complications, such as
deformities, death, and disease that persist because of this issue. If this problem is not
addressed, millions of people will continue to die preventable deaths and suffer preventable
handicaps despite the advances of modern medicine.
Last summer, I witnessed the effects of this issue firsthand while working in Guatemala.
Here, as is the case for most Latin American countries, medical care is hard to come by. There
are only .932 physicians and .7 hospital beds for every 1000 people in a country with a
population of 14.5 million. The government hospitals are poorly funded and often incapable of
performing extensive operations due to a lack of supplies or a well trained medical staff. These
deficiencies force many people turn to private hospitals who employ their own staff or who rely

on the aid of volunteer groups like Surgicorps International. However, even if these people
needing medical attention do find a hospital capable of caring for them, they often cannot afford
the care that they need. The lack of access to medical care and the peoples inability to afford it
results in a multitude of preventable deformities that hinder the quality of life of those affected.
Before going to Guatemala, I had never seen a cleft lip or palate. Because of a lack of prenatal
care, children suffer from these abnormalities that not only make them the target of ridicule, but
also pose serious threats to their health by causing them to aspirate their food or become
malnourished. Additionally, deformed hands and feet resulting from congenital deficiencies or
injury greatly complicate the lives of those who have them. One of the most severe cases I saw
was a 25 year old man who, while working on a construction site, mistakenly grabbed a live,
uninsulated wire that practically melted the tissue of his dominant hand. Because the man had
no access to a hospital, his hand healed into a mangled mess of rigid scar tissue that rendered
it completely useless. Sadly, this type of injury was a common sight, and in a country where
manual labor and trade skills are the usual means for feeding a family, those affected have little
hope of making a living. However, with more hospitals and trained physicians, the number of
life-altering deformities could be greatly reduced. More hospitals and physicians means easier
access to prenatal care, corrective surgery, and immediate treatment that could mean the
difference between living life with a permanent handicap or a life free from deformities.
In addition to physical deformities, an increased prevalence of disease also results from
insufficient access to medical care. Here in the United States, we can make an appointment at
our local doctors office and pick up the necessary medication at the first sign of getting sick. In
other countries, especially in rural or impoverished areas, a clinic or hospital may be a days
journey away. Most people cannot afford to leave behind their children or work responsibilities
just to receive medication for something that doesnt seem life-threatening at the time. But if left
untreated, an infection could lead to death. Additionally, the longer the infection or sickness
goes untreated, the more likely it is to spread to other people. Illnesses such as malaria, typhoid

fever, meningitis, and a variety of sexually-transmitted diseases can be cured using

antiparasitics or antibiotics, but without access to these medications, the infections can spread
quickly and lead to many unnecessary deaths. Another concern with disease is the possibility of
a pandemic. Because of how interconnected our world has become, an outbreak of a disease in
one country is just an airline flight away from spreading to another country and so on. If these
countries are not equipped to treat the disease, it could have a devastating effect not only on
their population, but across the globe. Ensuring that all countries have the capacity to care for
their people and provide them with the medical attention they need is necessary, not only to
protect the health of individual people and nations, but to secure the health of the world.
With degrees in Immunology and Infectious Disease and Spanish from the Schreyer
Honors College at Penn State University, I will be prepared to combat the monumental issue of
insufficient medical care around the globe. My education here will thoroughly equip me for
medical school and help me to develop the skills and world knowledge I will need to make a
difference. Once I become a licensed physician, I intend to work with volunteer organizations
like Surgicorps and provide free medical services to people who can not access them normally.
Additionally, I hope to work with existing organizations, or perhaps develop my own
organization, to construct hospitals and clinics in areas that lack them. Doing so would provide
people in these areas with medical care that would prevent illness, treat injuries, and ultimately
save lives.
Modern medicine is a remarkable thing, but only if you have access to it. For millions of
people across the globe, receiving medical attention is a difficult task. As a result of the shortage
of hospitals and physicians, people die unnecessary deaths and live labored lives because of
preventable illnesses and handicaps. I am alive today because my family has access to modern
medicine, and for this reason, I intend to use my abilities as a physician to give people across
the globe the same chance at life that I received seventeen years ten months and twenty one
days ago.