This will be my last blog from Tanzania. I’m going to spend a couple of days visiting the island of Zanzibar – pure vacation, nothing to do with work – and then begin the trek home. My time here has not been as fulfilling as I had hoped, which naturally has been disappointing. Nonetheless there have been positive […]
Category: Guest writers
Monica Jackson: the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake
Two minutes’ silence were observed on Tuesday to mark one week passing since the earthquake. I was in the hospital canteen and at the end of the silence a prayer was read by members of staff. In some ways it was hard to believe a whole week had flown by, at the same time it […]
Chris Ham: Education, integration, and involvement: three key steps to quality improvement
Taking time out from the debate about NHS reform, I visited Intermountain Healthcare (IHC) in Salt Lake City, Utah, to find out what makes it one of the most admired health care systems in the US, and to discover what the NHS could learn from this organisation. […]
David Kerr: Oscar season
Last Sunday it seemed like the whole of Silicon Valley stopped work to watch the Oscars (on-line of course) otherwise known as the 83rd Academy Awards. Overall, the impression was that it was a pretty limp affair with only one F-word, robotic presenters, and bland acceptance speeches. The botoxed fashionistas were particularly scathing about the […]
Ian and Tom Roberts: Do not go gently – two plays on climate change
(IR) Although I cannot be certain, I suspect that humans are unique amongst animals in the ability to contemplate their own death. We all know that death is waiting. We might rage against the dying of the light but we know that the darkness will win. We scrutinize death solemnly and earnestly as we would […]
Tiago Villanueva: GPs are specialists too
In Portugal, general practitioners (GPs) are considered “specialists,” as general practice/family medicine is considered a specialty like any other hospital specialty. This is also the case in many other European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries. If there’s a more satisfying moment than qualifying from medical school, it must be finishing specialist training. Becoming a “specialist” […]
Mervyn Dean on power cuts in a hospital
The power went off about 40 minutes ago. It wasn’t an unexpected happening. I was told when I arrived here that power outages are scheduled for during the day on Thursdays, and during the evenings on Fridays. I wasn’t told that there would be random power outages of varying durations at other times. Usually the […]
Monica Jackson on the earthquake in New Zealand
The following account is based on an email I wrote to my friends and family on 23 February, describing my experiences working as a house officer at Christchurch Public Hospital when the devastating earthquake struck on 22 February 2011. […]
Jodi Dixon: Taking part in clinical trials – what is it like to be a human guinea pig?
Since the start of September I’ve had over 20 needles in my arms. I’ve had cannulas inserted, numerous ECGs, worn halters for hours and taken three different types of medication. There is nothing medically wrong with me. Am I crazy? […]
Mervyn Dean reflects on culture specific medicine
In the past 10 days or so I’ve settled into some sort of routine at KCMC, seeing patients on the wards in the morning, and in the afternoons either following up on administrative matters or trying to arrange teaching sessions, the latter with some small degree of success. […]