Universal health coverage is not just desirable, but eminently achievable […]
Gro Harlem Brundtland: Political commitment is the key to Universal Health Coverage
Category: Global health
Chris Simms: Canada at 150—the racialization of healthcare
Canadians tend to look south of the border to the US to help define who they are and who they are not, often citing differences between the two healthcare systems—a tendency that has markedly increased since the rise of Trump. It seems poignant that as Canada celebrates its 150 years since Confederation (1 July 1867), the […]
Ann Starrs: A critical moment to increase investments in women’s family planning needs
Investments in sexual and reproductive health are critical for saving lives and reducing ill-health among women and their children […]
Mary Higgins: Maslow and maternity care—how to reconcile experiences that are poles apart?
One of my medical students has a fantastic story to explain why she wants to specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology. As a pre-clinical medical student, before she had ever stepped into a maternity ward in Ireland, she went to work in a developing country. This student quietly watched and helped where she could. She saw […]
Joe Freer: Those who have the power distort our perception and treatment of disease
Turn the corner into cable street, and a sharp breeze from the river catches you; Sometimes the scent of the sea, a gust of wind from far off places; distant times Carry their stories into a song. We were here and we felt that gust: a common humanity—the force that binds us together. One mind, […]
Jonathan Whittall: Medics as force multipliers around Mosul—at the expense of medical ethics?
The battle for Mosul is taking place in a densely populated urban centre. Thousands of people are being injured in the crossfire—by explosions, snipers, and air strikes. Sixteen years after the so called “War on Terror” began, most humanitarian actors around Mosul behave in line with how Colin Powell (a previous US secretary of state) described […]
Buddha Basnyat: Zika in India—the case for prompt reporting
After India waited months to disclose that it had identified cases of Zika, Buddha Basnyat argues that withholding information about highly contagious diseases can add to the problem of containment […]
Shalini: New Zika cases in India must be reported
India has officially reported three cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that the cases, which included a 34-year-old new mother and a 22-year-old pregnant woman, had been detected in Ahmedabad in Gujarat. The cases have been confirmed by National Institute of Virology. Surprisingly, the first case was detected and confirmed […]
Allen Ross: Vaccination alone will not halt the next global pandemic
A combination of strategies are required to save lives […]
Dudzai Mureyi et al: Drug advertising rules and the patient safety paradox in Zimbabwe
Dudzai Mureyi, Claudia Pagliari and Raluca Bunduchi Laws and regulations restricting the advertising of medicines are essential for protecting the public from harms due to inappropriate, dangerous, or counterfeit products. However, such restrictions may themselves become a health hazard if they prevent consumers from efficiently accessing the medicines they need; an unintended consequence that is currently affecting […]