Here on the edge of Silicon Valley we have just had a visit from Barack Obama. His schedule included closed door meetings with the tsars of technology; Jobs (Apple), Zuckerberg (Facebook), and Schmidt (Google). Although the meeting agenda is unknown there is a suspicion in the technosphere that the president is hoping for substantial help […]
Category: Guest writers
Bruce Weaver: IPPF launches films about contraception
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global organisation formed in 1952 with the aim of promoting sexual and reproductive health around the world, especially in developing countries. It operates in over 170 countries. Yesterday, it launched six short films depicting six young women in various countries across the globe. The aim of these […]
David Kerr: Social medicine
“The UK coalition government’s proposals for health reform have generated much heat without a great deal of light. One predictable response has been the “concern” that the private sector is about to take over the running of the health service. Worse still is the prospect of turning the NHS into a clone of the US […]
Mervyn Dean on palliative care in Tanzania
It would be a stretch to say that I have now adapted to the African way, but after three weeks here at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania, I am getting to do some of what I came here to do without, as far as I can tell, upsetting anyone in the […]
Vanessa Hattersley on getting rid of VAT on fruit smoothies
Although innocent is a relatively young company (12 years old in 2011), it has a long history of campaigning for the reduction of VAT on fruit juice and smoothies. Both of these count towards your 5-a-day (fruit juice counts as one and smoothies count as two portions [1]), but apart from sweetened dried fruit, they […]
Kostia Pertsovskyi: In Ukraine, opioid substitution therapy for injecting drug users is under threat
In Ukraine the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is the highest in Europe, and injecting drug use is the primary driver. A new law passed in January 2011 reaffirmed state guarantees for harm reduction services, including needle exchange and substitution treatment, as well as confidentiality of HIV status. This law is a major turning point for the […]
Vasiliy Vlassov: Obstetrics and child care in Central Asia
Before Christmas I participated in an educational event for obstetricians and perinatologists from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. It was arranged by GTZ (German Technical Cooperation) as part of their project in the region. Over the past few years, Central Asia has become the area for testing new approaches. First all the funding from donors was […]
Mervyn Dean on adjusting to work in Tanzania
It used to be, and may still be, that in the tourist shops here one could buy a T-shirt bearing the words, “No hurry in Africa.” I now understand what it means, and I’m sure that many reading this who have worked in Africa will not be surprised at my experience to date. I am […]
Martin Dawes: Health research: what’s in a name?
Every year my family tease me about going to NAPCRG, the North American Primary Care Research Group. This is pronounced “nap crag” and it does not take a huge leap of imagination to see how a little mispronunciation may lead to a sequence of “funny” jokes. As a result of this and partly to get […]
Chris Cox on “criminalising” health care practice
A team of medical ethicists is calling for a new criminal offence of wilful neglect in the UK. The call, in the Journal of Medical Ethics, follows scandals over care such as that at Mid Staffordshire Hospital. […]