One of the consequences of improved medical care is that people are living longer and life expectancy is increasing. Do you think the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples.

Good medical care is as important a necessity as food, water or shelter. Advances in medical research and technology, especially over the

last

century have led to the discovery of new cures for many existing diseases.

Also

, the aetiologies of many non-communicable diseases have come to light. So the famous proverb, 'prevention is better than cure' has come back into the picture.

This

in turn has increased the life expectancy of human beings around the world. Since the turn of

this

millennium, the emphasis on higher education has increased in both developing and developed nations.

Thus

, people take longer to settle down and start their own families. So, a new family begins much later than what was previously seen. The retirement age has

also

been pushed

further

.

That is

the reason why many individuals plan activities of leisure and relaxation after their 60s. The improvement in medical services has

thus

enabled

this

geriatric population to enjoy to the fullest without worrying too much about their health issues. The only disadvantage of people living longer than before is that it would create a strain on the working population to earn enough to sustain

this

set of elderly people. But better pension schemes and life insurance has allowed the current generation of older citizens to take care of themselves irrespective of whether they are being provided by their immediate family members. The only other downfall of prolonged age would be the additional need for nursing homes.

This

problem could be solved by including them as a part and parcel of the medical care bundle. Overall, I think the recent development in health services is a blessing in disguise and it would go a long way in enriching the social aspects of humanity. In simple words, it just means that many children would get to spend much more time with their grandparents than what was priorly possible.