IELTS WRITING TASK 2 - OPINION ESSAY - SURAJ ROSHAN

" Prevention is better than Cure". Researching and treating diseases is too costly so it would be better to invest in preventive measures. To what extent do you agree ? 

It is not uncommon for us to hear of the phrase - “Prevention is better than cure”. The human race has experienced some major drawbacks in terms of healthcare the governments could provide in the recent times. People could lead healthy lifestyles which could act as a preventive measure for various diseases and long-term ailments such as diabetes, higher or lower blood pressures, stress, and could also help with overall mental fitness of an individual. While the costs involved in researching and treating disease is very expensive, some believe that it could be beneficial to invest in preventive measures but to what extent does this argument hold? I partially agree with the argument and would explain why in the following paragraphs.

Firstly, Research is a never-ending affair, as we have witnessed with new findings that come up everyday about various aspects of diseases even with the diseases which have been around from a long time. These research activities also incur huge costs and the operations involved with the kind of personnel being highly skilled and the laboratories that demand huge investments with the equipment and operators it requires. The research for healthcare could cover a broad spectrum of areas which could range from aspects such as laboratory equipment that has to be advanced, precise and lower margins for inaccuracies to pharmaceuticals such as for development of oral medicines with faster action rates and having minimal side effects on the patients.

Secondly, the treating of diseases also could incur huge costs that have to be drained make the healthcare system of a country better. The pressure on the government to provide better healthcare systems could impact the economy in a large way with the country’s reserves being diverted massively toward the infrastructure and the kind of equipment the healthcare demands.  Although, people could follow various preventions such as having fitness activities integrated within their lives that could drive them a bit far from the sedentary lifestyle the modern work culture involves, the governments could invest greatly in the preventive measures such as better infrastructure such as community gyms and parks where people could be driven to be more fit and healthy. Other investments could also include fitness programs and various other awareness drives relating to health and diseases which could help the population of a country more aware of the diseases they should watch out for while identifying the symptoms in the early onset of a disease which could help cure it better and faster.

On the other hand, this should not refrain us from the research activities that must go on as we have seen with a first-hand of the pandemic could have on the world population. The research in such areas allows us to detect the diseases in early stages and also raise an alarm early on, keeping an eye out for the very unexpected epidemics and pandemics that could come toward us which could not just be prevented with investments in preventive measures, makes research an integral part of the healthcare ecosystem in the world. Research also would enable countries showcase their advancements in healthcare and attract more trade to the countries which could then be compensated with the investments that are made toward the research activities.

I would like to conclude by pointing out that investing in preventive measures must be done with research and treatment segments also playing a crucial role in the whole system, which could help with the healthcare systems not falling part and being always  vigilant and ready for the epidemics and pandemics that could come our way as we’ve seen that happen in various countries such as India, France, Spain, and many other parts of the world.