A recent Spanish law limiting access to healthcare for undocumented migrants is causing a controversy. From 1 September 2012 they will have access only to emergency, maternity, and child care. According to our minister of health, issues such as HIV or oncological treatments will be taken care of by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), something that has […]
Do we now need a public health media centre?
The effectiveness of the public health workforce hinges on its ability to effectively communicate its key messages to the public. As the Department of Health undertakes yet another consultation on public health the question is: do we now need a public health media centre? […]
Richard Lehman’s journal review – 18 June 2012
JAMA 13 June 2012 Vol 307 2383 It is surprising how long and valuable a period people can survive for with malignant pleural effusion. I worked beside such a person for 18 months while she adjusted her hectic schedule to lie down occasionally and drain her indwelling pleural catheter. To read more about her last […]
NHS pension strike—we are preparing to make a stand
We are planning to take industrial action at our GP surgery. We’re unanimous about the blatant inequity being thrust down our throats by Mr Lansley and the anger we feel is palpable. We weren’t completely in agreement about what we’d be prepared to do about it—but when the date was announced, we realised that the […]
Tewodros Melesse: Sex and the Rio20 summit
When world leaders gather in Rio this month they will be hammering out a new set of goals to measure sustainable development. This time it’s the SDGs (sustainable development goals)—goals which will influence a new development framework. But before we rush to embrace another acronym, we need to tackle a basic injustice left over from […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Research of doubtful relevance
What happened? Remember your first days at medical school —wide eyed optimism and how you were going to change the world, save lives, cure disease, help the sick, make a difference to people lives. Looking at a lifetime dedicated to medical research —how much have you achieved when measured against the ambitions of youth. As […]
Tessa Richards: Schools and health—could do better
To what extent are we sabotaging the future health and wellbeing of our children through ignorance, neglect, and misguided policy? And what can we do to redress this? Discuss. Discuss? The education and public health experts participating in an international cross-sector meeting convened by the Salzburg Global Seminar in Klingenthal, near Strasbourg last week, scarcely […]
Magdalena Kincaid: Teaching basic surgical skills in Palestine – hopes for the future
The basic surgical skills course (BSS) for Palestinian surgical trainees finished today. Throughout the two days of practical sessions it seemed that time acquired an extensile quality: the tasks completed in 48 hours on the Mount of Olives would usually fill a week. The intensity is not only due to the rigour of an arduous […]
Edzard Ernst: My evidence is better than yours
Humans tend to remember their pleasant and positive experiences and forget those events which were disagreeable or negative. We are not natural talents at coping with cognitive dissonance, and therefore our minds select the memories and evidence that we are most comfortable with. This trait can seriously impede our objectivity. In extreme cases, it can […]
Richard Smith: Reducing the world’s blood pressure
What do you think is the risk factor that causes the most deaths globally? Until I saw the data I’d have answered tobacco. But in fact it’s high blood pressure. As the figure (see below) shows, tobacco causes about six million deaths a year but high blood pressure around eight million. That’s why the Global […]