I remember thinking that I finally understood what the phrase “hard to reach villages” actually means. After a full dawn-to-dusk boat journey the day before, myself, three Burmese colleagues, two portly government midwives, and the skinny boat owner, pushed off into the narrow river. The wooden boat was the smallest you can imagine seven adults […]
Category: Global health
Faheem Ahmed: On the sideline or frontline—where should the British medical profession stand in times of armed conflict overseas?
Only days before his proposed release date, Abbas Khan was found dead in a government prison in Damascus. Arrested soon after his arrival in Syria, Dr Khan had initially planned to stay for two weeks in support of the humanitarian relief effort. Instead, he was detained for over a year and was starved, subjugated to […]
Helen M Nwaba on transforming the grassroots response to Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS epidemic
When a village in North Western Nigeria, which has one of the highest HIV rates in the state, is effectively cut off from other communities and the rest of the country because it lacks a bridge spanning a turbulent river, it took “STAR” power to tackle the problem. That “STAR” is a community led initiative—Society […]
Pat Harrold on why Ireland is forging ahead with plain packaging for cigarettes
We Irish are good at many things. We are world leaders in literature, music and, occasionally, rugby. Lately we have become famous for tobacco control. Ireland became the first country in the world to ban smoking in public places after some groundbreaking research into the health of Galway bar staff. We are now set to […]
Yueju Liu et al: The past and present of government funded healthcare in China
Yueju Liu,Yanling Su, Han Li, Juan Wang, and Yingze Zhang reflect on the past and present of government funded healthcare in China. Urban healthcare reform from 1949 to 1993 After the People’s Republic of China was established on 1 October 1949, Chairman Mao Tse-tung and the Chinese central government created a healthcare system, which provided […]
David McCoy: Ecology, politics, economics, and violence—the wider role of health professionals
Last Saturday saw more than 250 people attend a Medact conference on the interfaces between health, politics, ecology, economics, and violence. There were about 30 speakers including well known figures from the world of health (Richard Horton, Iain Chalmers, Allyson Pollock, Andy Haines, John Lister, and Jacky Davis). But there were also speakers from other […]
Suchita Shah: Polio resurgence in Syria—the importance of vaccination in wartime
Today, on Remembrance Day, while the nation remembers the fallen, battles continue to rage throughout the world. Alongside wars, the scourge of disease is claiming victory over the weak and dispossessed. Less than two weeks ago, the WHO reported 10 cases of wild poliovirus isolated from 22 children with acute flaccid paralysis in Syria. Most […]
Gabriel Scally: A grotesque parody of fairness
It’s a long way to go from Bristol to Boston for a conference, but I’m adding to my carbon footprint and attending the 141st American Public Health association meeting. It’s an enormous meeting. Despite some tough times in the US local public health departments, 13 000 people are making this meeting, yet again, the biggest […]
Dave Albert: Cycling surgeons for safer surgery
Why would one ever consider cycling from Glasgow to London when there is a perfectly good train? Particularly if you choose a really hilly route, with 20 percent climbs through the Lake District and twice over the Pennines. This question was on our minds as we got colder and wetter and our legs struggled up […]
Jane Parry: The disease of poverty is a doctor’s business everywhere
“If you miss the poor, you’ve missed the point,” said Margaret Mungherera in her recent inaugural speech as incoming president of the World Medical Association. She urged doctors around the world to advocate on behalf of the poor. If any delegates from the Hong Kong Medical Association, a WMA member, were present I do hope […]