Nobody talks that way about our system (except us)
In my column last week, I discussed the British firing back at U.S. critics of the UK's National Health Service. This article from the New York Times says the fight against the criticism is continuing, as several dozen people on Wednesday rallied in front of an American Embassy holding up pro-NHS signs. The article notes that while the British often lament the NHS waiting lists, its disparities in treatment, and its bureaucracy, they are quick to defend its good qualities. "The NHS is not perfect," the rally's organizer, Bruce Kent, told the Times and other reporters, "but it is being really badly abused in the USA, and on utterly unreasonable grounds." [Read More]
Activists: Poor nations' access to affordable drugs stymied
Activists from all over the world, including organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, are accusing President Obama and his administration of blocking greater access to affordable drugs in a bid to win pharmaceutical companies' support for a U.S. healthcare overhaul. Obama officials have rejected the criticism, saying that the president remained committed to the international health goals he embraced during his campaign and already had initiated trade policy changes. [Read More]
China issues drugs list to make healthcare more affordable
As part of the country's health reform effort, the Chinese government has issued a list of more than 300 commonly used medicines that will be sold at controlled prices beginning in September. Although the policy is designed to keep healthcare costs down, it will not be able to do so alone as long as the government continues to regulate prices for medical services, a Peking University health economics expert told the Associated Press. Gordon Liu, head of health economics and management at Peking University, said the policy must be accompanied by other initiatives to address how doctors and hospitals are paid for their services in order to discourage them from over prescribing drugs. [Read More]
WHO predicts explosion of swine flu cases
There will soon be a period of further global spread of the swine flu virus in the coming months, and most countries may see cases double every three to four days for several months until peak transmission is reached, World Health Organization Western Pacific Director Shin Young-soo recently announced. As a result, governments must act quickly to educate the public, prepare their health systems to care for severe cases, and protect those deemed more vulnerable to prevent unnecessary deaths, he added. [Read More] |
Leadership
