Pupils’ visions for medical advances go in time capsule

That’s the future of healthcare as envisaged by children from Musselburgh Burgh Primary School in East Lothian.

The youngsters have added drawings of their vision of healthcare in 100 years to a time capsule which has been buried in the garden of the new Musselburgh Primary Care Centre.

Their work was accompanied by two copies of the Evening News, a stethoscope and blood pressure checking device, architects’ drawings of the new centre and archaeological finds from the site.

The capsule was buried in the play area outside the health centre, which is due to open in the spring. It is intended to be opened a century from now, so children of the future can see how accurate their predecessors’ predictions were.

Among the P6 children putting their work into the capsule was Aaron Galloway, ten, who said: “I drew lots of robots for what healthcare would be like in the future. There was a doctor robot, a diagnosis robot, a transporter robot which would transport you to a medical room, a snack robot, and a nacho dispenser robot.”

By way of explanation for the nachos, he added: “I just had a Mexican theme going on.”

Classmate Jade Smith, ten, also put her drawings into the capsule. She said: “I did a computer, and if you got up this website and took a photograph or downloaded one, it tells you what’s wrong with you. My teacher said you could do an app or something, so I thought about a computer.”

Deputy headteacher Erika Maclaughlan said the children had enjoyed the chance to visit the health centre for the time capsule burial yesterday. “Because we’re a local school just a few minutes along the road, the children are used to walking past the site, so we spoke to the children about how healthcare would look 100 years from now.

“The class teacher discussed what changes they might see through their lifetime and what their children might be thinking about when they go to the doctor.

“The drawings are incredibly imaginative. They’ve taken technology that they’re used to now and they’ve taken it a step further. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some of these things soon.”

David Small, general manager for East Lothian and Midlothian Community Health Partnerships, said the £20 million centre was on schedule for completion in the spring

He added: “It’s been great to see the children planting a piece of the present day on the site as it makes it more personal.”