One of the reasons London’s bid for the 2012 Olympics was successful was apparently the detailed health legacy it proposed. As well as the development of new sporting facilities, the aim is to promote greater levels of physical activity right across the country. In London alone, Department of Health statistics suggest that over 65% of […]
Domhnall MacAuley on “Palliative care beyond cancer” versus “Multiple health problems in elderly patients”
Had an interesting conversation at the weekend – some feel that “Palliative care beyond cancer” and “Multiple health problems in elderly patients” address very similar issues and populations. Not sure that I would agree, but what do you think? […]
Simon Chapman: Conferences and carbon
Earlier this year I declined an invitation to fly all expenses from Sydney to Geneva to speak for 15 minutes at an international cancer conference. There was a hole in my calendar. Geneva is a hop from Lyon, where I have good friends. I have a son in London who I haven’t seen for a […]
Liz Wager: Researchers behaving badly
At an international research integrity meeting in Lisbon last year, I was horrified when a US scientist told me that UK universities didn’t reply to her concerns about alleged research misconduct. We cannot be proud of the fact that the UK scientific establishment took so long to set up a body to investigate research misconduct. […]
Domhnall MacAuley on Making a Difference
It’s live! Up and running! Have you seen the BMJ’s website, articles, and listened to the podcasts? The “Making a difference” project is one of our most exciting recent projects; a multimedia dynamic and innovative adventure. I should not say it … but it is superb. See the web, tell your friends and family, and […]
Richard Smith: Private health care – essential for improving care in the developing world
People in Bangladesh get 80% of their healthcare from the private sector. Across Sub-Saharan Africa it’s 60%, and the proportion is increasing. The poorer people are the more likely they are to receive private care, and the middle classes consume more publicly funded care than the poor. […]
Helen Barratt: Public health – sewers and kebabs?
I’ve begun to dread new social situations. Since starting training in public health, I’ve yet to work out a way to succinctly describe what it is I do. When new acquaintances look baffled at mention of primary care trusts, I usually find myself muttering about working in an office for the NHS. Small wonder they […]
Katja Stoppenbrink: Clinical Research in Vulnerable Populations, Berlin, 3-4 April 2008
On 26 January 2007 a regulation and amending regulation on medicinal products for paediatric use came into force in the EU, which requires that medicines are ethically researched and made available for children aged 0-17 years. […]
Sarah Chan: Remoralising health policy
The sub-theme of this inaugural Think About Health conference is on “The Remoralisation of Health Policy”, and day two of the event, held in Manchester on 4-5 April 2008, began with a paper titled just that, from Jonathan Montgomery. For those (including myself) who may have been somewhat uncertain about what the remoralisation of health policy […]
Sarah Chan: Defining public health
Public health: it’s one of those things, like free education or saving the giant panda, that we all pretty much agree is a “Good Thing;” and not just a good thing but one of the fundamental social goods that most of us expect the state to provide. But what, exactly, is public health; and perhaps […]