MSNBC.com-15 May, 2012
Author: Art Caplan
“A test to determine if you are infected with HIV should be made available over-the-counter, a federal advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration has recommended. Having a home test kit available would seem to be a good idea for cutting down on new cases…But is an HIV home test kit really a great idea? On the whole yes, but, there are some big ethical holes facing home testing.”
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Medical Observer-15 May, 2012
Author: Byron Kaye
“THE owner of an airport duty free shop has been hit with a $387,500 penalty – more than half of which goes to the NSW Ministry of Health – after openly displaying 29 cartons of cigarettes in a sales area. The punishment – which amounts to $13,362 per carton – came after the owner of the Mega B shop in Sydney International Airport pleaded guilty to seven charges under the NSW Tobacco Act.”
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Reuters-17 May, 2012
“Bulgaria’s parliament voted on Thursday to ban smoking in all indoor public spaces from June 1 in an attempt to persuade one of Europe’s heaviest smoking nations to kick the habit.The European Union’s poorest member state has joined a growing list of nations to ban smoking in bars and restaurants.”
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Associated Press-17 May, 2012
Author: Sudhin Thanawala
“Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that usually attacks the lungs. Many people have a latent form, and the active form usually only affects adults whose immune systems are compromised, which can happen from drug use. Public health experts are divided on the issue of mandatory treatment and criminal charges for patients who don’t comply with treatment orders.”
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The New York Times-18 May, 2012
Author: Gustin L. Reichbach
“This is not a law-and-order issue; it is a medical and a human rights issue. Being treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, I am receiving the absolute gold standard of medical care. But doctors cannot be expected to do what the law prohibits, even when they know it is in the best interests of their patients. When palliative care is understood as a fundamental human and medical right, marijuana for medical use should be beyond controversy.”
Read article here.
Reuters-11 May, 2012
Author: Sharon Begley
“The stigmatization of obesity begins in preschool: Children as young as 3 tell scientists studying the phenomenon that overweight people are mean, stupid, ugly and have few friends…One effect of the obesity stigma is that discrimination on the basis of weight is legal. Michigan is the only state that prohibits it, along with a few towns and cities. Everywhere else, it is legal to deny people jobs or refuse to rent them an apartment if they are obese.”
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The Boston Globe- 14 May, 2012
Author: Donald M. Berwick
“An Irish adage says: “When you come to a wall that is too high to climb, throw your hat over the wall, and then go get your hat.” That’s what Massachusetts started with its 2006 law requiring just about everyone to get coverage and arranging to make that coverage affordable. Now, it’s time to get the hat. Legislation to contain costs is the necessary sequel. Reducing costs won’t just rescue health care; it will also help rescue our schools, our roads, our museums, our wages, and the competitiveness of our corporations; that’s because every additional nickel we spend on health care comes from somewhere else — somewhere also important.”
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Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association-16 May, 2012
Spokesperson: Minister for Health, The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP
“The popular after hours GP helpline (1800 022 222) has become a truly national service, as Victoria has now signed on, bringing all state and territories on board. Health Minister Tanya Plibersek made the announcement as the after hours GP helpline, which first began operation in some states in July last year, notched up more than 130,000 calls.”
Read news release here.
The Guardian-15 May, 2012
Author: James Melkie
“The health of patients has been put at risk by speculators trying to increase profits by exporting medicines intended for use in the UK, according to a group of MPs and peers. Ministers must consider banning the practice, which is legal under EU trade rules, and put the wellbeing of Britons over the free movement of goods, said MPs on the all-party pharmacy group.”
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The Guardian-15 May, 2012
Author: Andreas Kortenkamp
“It has emerged that chemicals found in everyday household products may be contributing to rising rates of cancer, diabetes, brain diseases and fertility problems. Foetal development is particularly sensitive…In the UK, though, it seems that commercial interests are more important. The Health and Safety Executive’s chemicals division has, together with German authorities, tabled proposals for regulating pesticides that closely follow those developed by industry. Identifying a substance as an EDC will have a great financial impact, they say, so only the most potent substances should be given endocrine disrupter status.”
Read article here.
