Contribution to ICSU Report
By Keith Boddy

In considering sustainable development and public understanding of science and technology, health care is not always highlighted and particularly the contributions made to it by physical and engineering sciences.

As infectious and endemic diseases decline in developing and emerging countries, medical conditions such as cancer, circulatory diseases and physical/mental disabilities increase in significance. There is consequently a greater necessity for the associated expertise and support of medical physicists and biomedical engineers in both diagnosis, such as imaging and physiological measurements, and in treatment, particularly radiotherapy and also in aids to everyday living for people with disabilities. These professionals are also prime contributors to essential developments in fields such as telemedicine and information technology.

A major problem in sustainable development is that generally the number of medical physicists and biomedical engineers per head of population is far fewer in developing countries than in industrialised nations (often by orders of magnitude). In addition, their professional status and roles may be poorly recognised or understood. An associated difficulty is limited opportunities to remain up to date in these rapidly advancing fields.

Health care is of direct interest and personal benefit to the public. An opportunity, therefore, exists to improve and stimulate public understanding of science and technology by illustrating the many applications being made internationally to improve wellbeing, explained in non-technical, readily understandable language.

As a member of ICSU, the International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (IUPESM) is contributing to sustainable development by providing regional training courses for developing countries and supporting their participation in world congresses. Global biomedical information networking is being established for them, including an on-line medical physics textbook and a biomedical engineering encyclopaedia. As a contribution to public understanding of science and technology, IUPESM has produced an illustrated brochure entitled "Physical and Engineering Sciences in Health Care", which is available on the Union's web site (www.iupesm.org) and, with the assistance of a grant from ICSU, in printed form. The Union is seeking collaboration with members of the ICSU and United Nations families in order to promote and extend these contributions to sustainable development and public understanding.