Glasnost and Perestroika—a Challenge for Modern Medicine

Abstract

The Gorbachev era has introduced an easing of the political tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States and potential changes in the lives of Soviet citizens. This relaxed relation­ ship provided the stimulus for an August 1988 meeting of physicians from both countries to dis­ cuss an evolving area of high-technology medical care—laser therapy. Perhaps the ultimate out­ come of this and future meetings may provide a change in the lives of the citizens of both coun­ tries. As endoscopic laser therapists from the Mayo Clinic, we were the US delegation for the meet­ ing. Our counterparts and hosts were the staff of the National Centre for Laser Surgery of the USSR in Moscow, directed by Professor-Doctor Oleg Skobelkin. Although formally in existence for only 2 years, the National Centre for Laser Surgery occupies an entire complex at Moscow's Hospital 51 and reflects the cumulative pioneer­ ing efforts of Professor Skobelkin and his col­ leagues during the past 15 years. Our Soviet counterparts were most expansive in the perception of this meeting, especially in regard to its ultimate meaning. Soon we shared the Soviet perceptions—the meeting was a ground­ breaking, an initial opportunity for a candid exchange of ideas and experiences. The subject matter itself was symbolic of the larger changes under way between the United States and the Soviet Union. Although the applications of laser therapy in medicine and surgery involve the ad­ vanced technology of both countries, they are yet in a period of infancy. Several objectives were preestablished for the meeting, aspects of which were to be both formal and informal. These objectives included a mutual exchange and critique of experiences, discussions regarding current trends in the development and application of laser devices and accessories, and future applications. The areas of greatest con