Politicians visiting hospitals, being cheered and blessed. Not something we’ve seen in Britain over the past few weeks. But it was the scene in the small, impoverished West African state of Sierra Leone this week, when the government announced the abolition of health user-fees for pregnant and new mums, and children under five. […]
Category: Guest writers
Leifur Bardarson: We have a lot to learn from Eyjafjallajökull
The volcanic activities of Eyjafjallajökull have diminished. On the 26 April 2010 it was only pumping out 30 ton/sec of volcanic material (gases and ash) into the air compared to the 700 tons/sec during the first week of its eruption. The good news is that air travel is no longer affected to same extent as it was, though […]
Kiran James Jobanputra: first days in DRC
When you are accustomed to living in closed compounds you develop a long-distance stare; a meditative gaze you adopt automatically when left to yourself. This abstracted state serves two purposes. It allows you to take a little break, to escape for a moment without physically leaving the property, and it helps you overlook the razor […]
Shafalica Bhan-Kotwal: on the disruption caused by the volcano
I am writing this from the lounge of the international airport at New Delhi, India. Today is our third consecutive day at the airport and the seventh day of being stranded away from our home in Essex. We were supposed to be flying back last Sunday that is until the volcano erupted in faraway Iceland […]
Médecins Sans Frontières: Is Malaria all sewn up?
World Malaria Day on April 25 aimed to highlight global efforts to effectively control malaria. This year, the day was marked by some important developments in malaria prevention and control, which may impact on malaria field programmes. […]
Steve Fabes on cycling six continents
Like most decisions of great consequence, I happened upon the route for Cycling The 6 in a pub garden, beer in one hand, mini-Atlas in the other. The plan hatched was to travel the length of six continents, all by bicycle. I completed my ST training in General Medicine in a London hospital and finally […]
Tracey Koehlmoos: Meeting the Marlboro man in Jakarta
Last week my three boys and I were visiting friends on our first trip to Indonesia. Jakarta is enchanting…shiny, modern, glossy, and brimming with cultural charm: twisty roads, unique architecture, flamboyant flora, and great food. […]
John Garrow: Libel laws and patient protection
Professor A C Grayling has written about the recent, well publicised victory of Simon Singh in the appeal court (BMJ 2010;340:c1910). As almost everyone now knows, in a previous sitting with Mr Justice Eady, Dr Singh was set the nearly impossible task of proving that chiropractors were knowingly making false claims for the efficacy of […]
Emily Spry is back in Freetown
If you blinked, you probably missed it, but I’m back in Freetown after a short Easter jaunt to the UK to see my family and a few friends. I was surprised but delighted to be snowed on in the mountains in Wales; at least I can say that I experienced the legendary winter of 2009-2010, […]
Joe Collier: The unseemly goings-on at the ACMD and how they might have been avoided
With seven members of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) resigning in the last few months, and its chair, Professor David Nutt, being sacked, there must be something very wrong with the circumstances in which this group of experts find themselves. […]