“Counting Malaria Out” is not the most inspiring of themes for the third World Malaria Day that took place on the 25th of April. It is another day to add onto the growing list of internationally recognised health days which by my calculation can exceed 24 internationally observed days in one month, for example in October. Some […]
Richard Smith: Five examples of scaling up
Developing interventions that work to, say, reduce malaria, combat obesity, or prevent cardiovascular disease is hard, but scaling them up to benefit whole populations is harder. Yet the interventions must be scaled up to make any important difference to global problems like malaria, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. The Oxford Health Alliance meeting in Delhi last […]
Joe Collier: Denying people assistance in dying is simply cruel
Whatever else, arguments for and against assisted dying must include the notion of cruelty. In my view there can be little more cruel than to decline the request for help in, or advice on, dying from patients of sound mind, who are competent to make decisions, who are suffering unbearably from a disabling disease for […]
David Pencheon: I spy the future now- IT, integration, innovation, and incentives
Just before each general election, I am always intrigued to see how the Economist will cast their vote. Although I don’t always agree with their decisions on this or any other matter they address, it’s always a stimulating read. Actually the article that really caught my eye this week (1st May, 2010) was the analysis […]
David Pencheon: When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race
When I see and hear young people not only speaking, but taking action on the big issues of our time I have hope for the future. When I see doctors do the same, I feel similarly hopeful. Hence, when young doctors and medical students get active, I feel especially optimistic. There are many well known […]
Richard Smith on Matlab, Bangladesh
The cholera hospital in Matlab, Bangladesh, has patients in the corridors and every nook and cranny, but as we walk through the mood is calm. Most beds have two people, usually a mother and child. The mood may be calm because acute, watery diarrhoea is part of life in Bangladesh, and the parents and patients […]
Kiran James Jobanputra: A world without MSF
It’s hard to contemplate Bunia without MSF. Bon Marché (the MSF hospital) is truly an institution – everyone I meet has either worked there or been a patient there – usually both. […]
Tony Delamothe on the assisted dying debate at the Maudsley
Finally made it to a Maudsley debate (28 April 2010), after years of noting their carefully worded topics and starry lineups. This one was no exception. Household names were debating the motion that: “This house believes that doctors should be allowed to assist some people with suicide.” […]
Andrew Burd on elbows and burning babies
How do you test the temperature of the water before you give a young infant a bath in a basin? This is breaking news in Hong Kong. A few days ago a nurse was giving a baby a bath in a hospital ward. Before I continue I must emphasize that all that is included in […]
Ishbel Matheson: Blessings for free healthcare
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. […]