The fact that 1 April is “April Fool’s day” ought to be enough to warn governments of all shades that it is a bad day to make major changes to government services, but that is the day that the latest batch of NHS reforms comes into play. It is the day that CCGs will take […]
Category: Guest writers
Aser Garcia Rada: Protests against the privatisation of healthcare in Spain
On 17 February thousands of people demonstrated in Madrid, and in 15 other Spanish cities, against the growing privatisation of public healthcare. Although ongoing cuts have caused protests in many regions it was the first time a nationwide “white tide” demonstration—referring to protester’s white coats—has taken place. The large protest began in Madrid after a […]
Felix Greaves: New beginnings, and new risks in English public health
Ah, spring time. A time of new beginnings. Daffodils sprouting through the snow. And like hesitant young lambs, looking around at their unpleasantly cold surroundings, the new structures responsible for England’s public health will pop into being this chilly bank holiday weekend. After a marathon of consultations, delays, and clarifications, public health will complete its […]
Kim Wolff: Drug driving limits
I am grateful to Jeremy Sare for his blog and the interest shown in the work of the expert panel on drug driving limits, but feel it is important to address some inaccuracies in his comments. The panel was required to consider drugs listed in the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) and to make recommendations […]
Jonathan Rees: Scotland’s out of hours service
Most science—and I am going to include medicine here—is based on the idea that you build on the work of others. To do this meaningfully requires that you can challenge what has gone before you. All claims must be subject to scrutiny, and openness about the factual basis for any such claims facilitates this process. […]
Nataša Škaričić: Asim Kurjak’s appointment as dean of the faculty for health studies at the private International University, Dubrovnik
In 2006, Sir Iain Chalmers, one of the founders of the Cochrane Collaboration, accused Asim Kurjak, a former professor at the Zagreb School of Medicine, of repeated plagiarism and criticised the University of Zagreb for its lack of action in dealing with these cases. In his article “Role of systematic reviews in detecting plagiarism: case […]
Jeremy Sare: Drug driving limits
Very few scientists become politicians, and this is hardly surprising. A scientist will usually only present a new finding once it has been carefully researched, tested, and peer reviewed, whereas politicians can happily advocate any crackpot theory based on little more than anecdotal experience, personal prejudice, and questionable media reports. A scientist’s professional reputation can […]
Balaji Ravichandran: Sugar is the new tobacco
Sugar is the new tobacco. It is dangerous, addictive, and toxic, and it cannot be controlled by education or legislation alone. This is a war, between public health and private industry, and one that is best waged through the courts. These were some of the more dramatic pronouncements heard at what was ostensibly an academic […]
David Zigmond: “Fixing the NHS is straightforward.” Really?
In an article in the Daily Telegraph, Gerry Robinson tells us that “fixing the NHS is straightforward.” He writes with optimistic alacrity of pragmatic, logistical, data-fuelled managerial devices to sharpen purview and performance. He cites management in McDonalds and Phones4U as good role models for healthcare. He conveys this as if it is bold and […]
Rachel Hendrick on the “Selling Sickness: People before Profit” conference
The conference “Selling Sickness: People before Profit” was held in Washington, D.C. on 20 – 22 February 2013. It was organised by Leonore Tiefer, a scholar and activist in sexuality, and Kim Witczak, an activist who became involved in pharmaceutical drug safety issues after the death of her husband, Tim “Woody” Witczak, in 2003, as […]