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Alliance News Digest

Information

WEEK OF 09 October 2009

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

• SA's doctor brain-drain - Times LIVE, SA. (10/4)
  Low wages and poor working conditions are driving doctors to seek employment outside the country.
  

• HEALTH-LIBERIA: Rainy Season Deadly for Pregnant Women - IPS-Africa. (10/1)
  The vast majority of women delivered in the community, or in facilities without qualified health workers.
  

• Health Workers Begin Nationwide Strike - Daily Champion, Nigeria. (10/5)
  government un-kept promises and disparity in salaries is pushing health sector to general strike.
  

• Baby deaths preventable: NGO - Independent Online, SA. (10/6)
  Governments should look at "task-shifting" - allowing mid-level health workers to do procedures such as caesarians.
  

• Forum Lists Benefits of Telemedicine, Ehealth - Daily Independent, Nigeria. (10/6)
  The implementation of eHealth within the framework of national health policy, would mean reduction of healthcare costs.
  

• Medical Council Urged to Increase Art Monitoring - Times of Zambia. (10/8)
  MCZ must make sure that all health workers involved in the treatment of HIV/AIDS should be well qualified.
  

• Care Could Save 39,000 Women, Babies - Business Day, SA. (10/7)
  Mozambique has trained health workers to do caesarean deliveries, reducing reliance on scarce physicians.
  

• Workers’ union expects solutions from 2010 budget - The Post, Zambia. (10/8)
  Health workers were on strike during five weeks due to government’s failure to meet their salary demands.
  
  

ASIA AND PACIFIC

• Delhi to have a public health university - India-Forum. (10/2)
  India has a great need for a trained public health workforce.
  

• Education fails the nation - ThanhNien News, Viet Nam. (10/3)
  Low intellectual standards, consequence of low-quality education, has badly affected the environment, public health and traffic security.
  

• Local labs approved to conduct swine flu tests - ThanhNien News, Viet Nam. (10/7)
  To avoid overloading hospitals, some localities are offering home treatment with monitoring from health workers.
  

• 6 bodies retrieved from collapsed Palawan building - Inquirer.Net, Philippines. (10/8)
  Six health workers trapped in Palawan landslide.
  

• Australia encourages Indigenous People to pursue health careers - Australia.gov.au. (10/5)
  Improving the capacity of the Indigenous health workforce is an important component of the Government’s commitment to close the gap in Indigenous life expectancy.
  

• More NZ medical staff head to Samoa - New Zealand Herald. (10/5)
  New Zealand government is helping Samoan tsunami victims.
  

• Better housing urged for health workers - ABC News, Australia. (10/5)
  Better housing provision is required for health workers in Western Australia.
  

• Why indigenous children are dying - AdelaideNow, Australia. (10/5)
  Aboriginal children have mortality rates similar to children in developing nations.
  

• Typhoon victims face risk of infectious diseases in Vietnam - Xinhua News, China. (10/8)
  Provincial government is sending health workers and medicines to health centres in disaster area.
  
  

NORTH AMERICA

• Healthcare Workers Continue To Be In Demand - CityTownInfo.com. (10/5)
  As many unemployed workers search for jobs, there are not enough qualified health workers to fulfil the increasing demand.
  

• Primary Care Shortage Worsens And An Illinois Clinic Experiments With A Program To Train More Nurses - Kaiser Health News. (10/5)
  According to Carver College of Medicine, UI, students selecting family medicine drop from 37 percent in 1997 to 15 percent in 2008.
  

• Mothers Of Ethiopia Part V: Government Looks For Solutions To Dire Shortage Of Doctors - Huffington Post. (10/3)
  Ethiopia has one the world’s worst health care systems in the world.
  

• Editorial: Reform, yes - but responsibly - Dallas Morning News. (10/5)
  Four major areas to be considered when reforming the health care system.
  

• High unemployment spells hiring opportunity for some small businesses - Chicago Tribune. (10/5)
  With an anticipated shortage of 260,000 nurses by 2025, hiring by health care companies may be less risky than in other sectors.
  

• It Will Be Years Before Lost Jobs Return -- and Many Never Will - Wall Street Journal. (10/5)
  Although determining which fields will become popular is next to impossible, it is foreseen that the demand for health care workers will increase.
  

• Medical Tourism ~ An Emerging Industry in Afghanistan - Medical Tourism Magazine, FL. (10/1)
  Article examines various aspects of health care system in Afghanistan, including human resources.
  

• Lack of comprehensive approach to domestic violence is the rule in B.C. - Globe and Mail, Canada. (10/5)
  The province should make available for funds for services such as mental-health workers.
  

• Des amies des bébés se regroupent à Sept-Îles - Le Nord-Est, Canada. (10/4)
  La pénurie d'infirmières spécialisées en périnatalité devient même un problème pour le CLSC.
  
  

EUROPE

• Germany to host World Health Summit - The Lancet, UK. (10/3)
  Germany is hosting the first annual World Health Summit.
  

• Realising the human right to health - The Lancet, UK. (10/3)
  Health is the fundamental basis of any successful nation, Mary Robinson.
  

• Aid group in child mortality plea - BBC News, UK. (10/5)
  Save the Children says that the lack of skilled health workers is one of the causes for child mortality.
  

• German health policy is likely to become more pro-doctor, expert predicts - British Medical Journal, UK. (10/6)
  In discussing health care policy, German government appears more open to wishes of doctors and private health insurers.
  

• Health Reform Bills Still Lack Strategic Focus on Health Workforce - EarthTimes, UK. (10/7)
  AAHC Calls for National Entity to Address Workforce.
  

• Falta de médicos um problema sem solução à vista - Jornal Reconquista, Portugal. (10/1)
  E era tão simples a solução. Bastaria criar mais Faculdades de Medicina e baixar ou anular os tão espartilhantes “numerus clausus” e tudo estaria resolvido.
  

• Australian Medical Association Urges Fast Tracking Of Expanded Itern Training Places - Medical News Today, UK. (10/2)
  Commonwealth has been increasing medical school places since 2004 to address workforce shortages.
  

• Indonésie : après le séisme, dans Padang ravagé - Ouest-France.fr. (10/2)
  Une course contre la montre est engagée pour sauver les personnes ensevelies mercredi et prendre en charge ceux qui ont tout perdu.
  

• Los centros de salud de Marbella y Estepona se reforzarán con seis nuevos facultativos - Diario Sur, Spain. (10/4)
  Los centros de salud de estas ciudades se reforzarán antes de finalizar el año.
  

• CSI•F alerta de la carencia de personal sanitario en las cárceles valencianas - Diario Crítico de la Comunitat Valenciana. (10/6)
  El sindicato CSI alertó sobre la falta de auxiliares de enfermería y de farmacéuticos".
  
  

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

• Paro en hospital por múltiples carencias - Nuevo Diario, Nicaragua. (10/6)
  La atención al paciente se mantiene, aunque se han redoblado las guardias de los médicos y técnicos.
  

• Anestesiólogos exigen acciones ante la apertura de licenciatura - ABC Color, Paraguay. (10/3)
  Reclaman mayor control sobre las carreras de salud.
  

• Guaiparo necesita 100 enfermeras - Nueva Prensa de Guayana, Venezuela 10/2)
  El déficit ya se hace sentir entre los servicios médicos del Hospital.
  

• Colapso y falta de médicos en hospitales ocasionan muertes - Entorno Inteligente, Venezuela. (10/1)
  Los dos grandes hospitales del estado de Portuguesa, tienen un grave déficit de médicos.
  

• Respaldan trabajadores a delegado del IMSS - Infominuto.com, Mexico. (10/6)
  Las carencias constatadas van de la falta de personal de salud hasta el uso de material medico de baja calidad.
  
  

News from WHO and partners

• Life expectancy in Turkey is nearly ten years below the European average - (Multimedia) World Bank. (9/30)
  Turkey’s infant and mother death rates are among the highest in the world.
  

• The 8th International Conference on Urban Health - AMREF (10/5)
  Conference will center its discussions on effects of urbanisation and urban environments on the health of urban residents.
  

• Obstetricians Honour UNFPA Head for Her Contributions to Women’s Health - UNFPA (10/5)
  This is highest honour that FIGO bestows on those who are not gynaecologists or obstetricians.
  

• G20 Can Improve Prospects for Long-Term Growth And Development By Making Global Health a Priority. - Global Health Council (9/25)
  G20 closed with little improvement for health of people in developing countries.
  

• UK pledges £12 million to help to deliver free healthcare in Liberia - DFID, UK. (10/4)
  New £12 million funding package announced to help make Liberia's commitment to provide free health care.
  

• Decent work for decent services! - Public Services International. (10/7)
  World Day for Decent Work.