Paul Collier Nurhadi Yudiyantho Dr Brian Supawut Kunakom
undermine ( or delay ) the potential long-term benefits and uses of such technologies around the world .” One key concern is the use of biased data to train AI , leading to inaccurate information that could cause health risks . As a result , the WHO calls for the safe and ethical use of AI in healthcare . Cancer is another theme widely discussed at the conference . Dr Brian Supawut Kunakom , a naturopathic consultant at Esperance Integrative Cancer Clinic in Thailand , touted the benefits of innovative blood tests to detect several types of cancer early .
In a recent clinical trial conducted at the National Health Service ( NHS ) in the UK , for instance , the Galleri blood test showed the potential to spot more than 50 types of cancer in people with symptoms , speeding up diagnosis and treatment . “ It could well be useful in the future to fast-track patients into rapid-access clinics , and especially in people where imaging findings are uncertain ,” Professor Nick Turner , a medical oncologist at The Institute of Cancer Research , told the Guardian .
Dr Kunakom said that in some cases cancer blood tests could be positive but subsequent examinations like imaging scans might not confirm the diagnosis . Some doctors believe this could cause patients more harm than good , he added , but “ if we can detect a sign of cancer before there ’ s an actual tumour , we can actually do prevention ” by
recommending healthy ways of living . Indeed , lifestyle choices can either increase or reduce the risk of developing cancer . A good cancer prevention strategy involves eating healthy foods , doing exercise , avoiding smoking and alcohol as much as possible .
In particular , exercise increases the ability of the immune system to fight cancer . Indeed , several studies have shown that the most physically active women have a 12 to 21 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those who are least physically active . Similar results were observed in other malignancies like colon , stomach , and bladder cancers .
The Awards gala At the 2023 GlobalHealth Asia-Pacific Healthcare and Hospital Awards some of the leading healthcare providers in the region received recognition for the quality and safety of their services .
Mount Elizabeth Hospital was crowned as Hospital of the Year in Asia-Pacific for offering high-quality and advanced care in a wide range of medical specialities in Singapore .
Malaysia-based Subang Jaya Medical Centre received the Standout Jury Award - Hospital of the Year in Asia-Pacific for its strong track record of providing excellent medical services in multiple areas including oncology , interventional radiology , and gastroenterology .
The Outstanding Leadership in Healthcare Travel Award was given to the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council , which has played a key role in helping the country become a popular healthcare travel destination among overseas patients from all around the world .
A special mention goes to the Thomas Masterson Healthcare Pioneer of the Year in Asia-Pacific , which was awarded to Dr Jacob Thomas for his significant contribution to the development of the healthcare in Malaysia , which also led the country to boost its credentials in health travel .
Thomas Masterson was a man of similar vision as he believed that health travel would flourish in Southeast Asia at a time when the industry was still in its infancy . This led him to found Global Health and Travel with Narender Panjwani to provide readers with a reputable media outlet that could cover trends and developments in medical tourism . Since then , the magazine has been renamed Gobal Health Asia-Pacific and has started to cover the whole spectrum of medical news along with the conferences and awards ceremonies organised by its team . As a publisher , Tom was approachable and he often offered plenty of good advice . We ’ d like to thank him for helping us get that far .
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com ISSUE 4 | 2023
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