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Alliance News Digest

Week of 16 April 2010

NEWS FROM WHO AND PARTNERS

• Improved trauma care saves lives in Somalia – WHO. (4/14)
  Conflict-related injuries are straining Somali hospitals
• Financial Crisis Should not Hinder Efforts to Improve Health, Reduce Poverty, says UNFPA – UNFPA. (4/12)
  Global financial crisis should not be allowed to prevent further investments in health and human well-being
• Retirement intentions of dentists in New South Wales, Australia – HRH Journal. (4/1)
  Australian dental workforce is ageing and current shortages have been predicted to worsen with the retirement of the growing contingent of older dentists
• New Nurse Consultant responsible for socio-economic welfare issues to join ICN staff – ICN. (3/22)
  Elizabeth Adams RN, MSC, will serve as Director, International Centre for Human Resources in Nursing and as the ICN Nurse Consultant
• Paying a "living wage" for health workers – Merlin, UK. (4/1)
  Paying health workers a "living wage" is a prerequisite for a well-functioning health system.
• Mobile clinics a lifeline in Haiti – Merlin, UK. (4/6)
  Merlin is ramping up mobile clinics to meet needs of many people in rural areas who would otherwise have no access to health care

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

• Zambia’s health care system not crippled – Lusaka Times. (4/10)
  More that needs to be done to improve healthcare service delivery, especially through increased funding and addressing the shortage of human resources.
• Somalia fighting takes heavy toll, overwhelms hospitals-WHO – Channel Africa. (4/13)
  Somalia is home to the lowest number of health workers of any country in the Horn of Africa
• Somalia: UN agency trains health-care workers in trauma, obstetric surgery – UN News Service. (4/13)
  WHO is training trauma and emergency obstetric surgery workers in Mogadishu.
• State Among Top Ten African Health Spenders – The Namibian. (4/13)
  Report was done on the health spending of 52 African countries
• Physician Raises Alarm Over Shortage of Neurosurgeons – Vanguard, Nigeria. (4/13)
  Only nine neurosurgeons to take care of spinal cord related disorders and ailments of 140 million Nigerians.
• TB Management Training for Health Workers – BuaNews, SA. (4/14)
  The country's target is to increase the TB cure rate from the current 64 percent to 85 percent by 2014/15.
• Rakai nurse held over illegal possession of sh10m drugs - The New Vision, Uganda (4/15)
  A nurse in Rakai district was on Tuesday arrested over illegally possessing drugs worth sh10m, reports Ali Mambule. (incl. 3 related articles)

ASIA AND PACIFIC

• Japan struggling to resolve care worker shortage – Mainichi Daily News, Japan. (4/12)
  The biggest challenge for care facilities suffering employee shortages is how to encourage experienced workers to return after long absences
• Maternal health targets hard to accomplish – Jakarta Post. (4/14)
  There is a lack of professional health workers, such as doctors and midwives, in remote areas.
• NY hospital's closure displaces Pinoy health workers – ABS-CBN News, Philippines. (3/109
  St. Vincent’s Hospital of Manhattan, in-patient services is shutting down affecting dozens of Filipino healthcare workers
• Stop CHR from hearing ‘Morong 43’ case, CA asked – The Inquirer, Philippines. (4/12)
  The 43 health workers were arrested last February 6 at a rest house in Morong, Rizal while undergoing community health training
• 26 health workers in first batch – Kuensel Online, Bhutan. (4/14)
  Bachelor’s In Public Health
• GMA declares May 7 as Health Workers' Day – Philippine Star. (4/15)
  President Arroyo has declared Health Workers' Day to give recognition of important contribution by health workers in providing health services to the people
• AFGHANISTAN: Helmand arrests shock aid workers – UN IRIN.. (3/12)
  Under international humanitarian law the sanctity of health centres should be respected by all belligerent parties, and health workers should not be attacked or harassed
• Qatar seeks to recruit nurses – Jakarta Post. (4/14)
  Qatar has turned to Indonesia for help in overcoming its shortage of nurses and paramedics
• Huge Australian population growth could have grave health consequences – Herald Sun, Australia. (4/12)
  Australia's current population of only about 20 million people, and the present public health system is struggling to cope with demand.
• Bligh to review health pay bungle – Sydney Morning Herald, Australia. (3/10)
  New system was launched on March 24 and the first two fortnightly pay periods resulted in health workers not being paid or being short-changed.

NORTH AMERICA

• New Virtual Interactive Tool Takes Nurse Training High Tech to Help Prepare and Retain New Nurses – Market Watch. (4/8)
  First-year nurses are vital to the nursing profession and the health care system, and retaining this population is an integral part of the overall strategy of addressing the national nursing shortage
• Young rural health workers benefit – Omaha World-Herald. (3/13)
  Because of a 2004 law, participants in a Nebraska program that repays the student loans of health professionals who agree to work in underserved areas.
• In India, Getting Mothers Talking Saves Babies' Lives – TIME Magazine. (4/6)
  Local women's groups should not be taken as a substitute for institutions where professional care is available to sick newborns
• Health Workers Push to Eradicate Guinea Worm Parasite in Sudan – PBS News Hour. (4/7)
  It comes from Southern Sudan, where health workers have come close to eradicating a crippling disease called guinea worm.
• Health care overhaul – Annandale Advocate. (3/30)
  Minnesota will receive money for public health workforce recruitment and retention
• Healthcare workers' OT plagues system – Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, CA. (4/12)
  Many of the workers average 12 hours a day; others routinely log 16- to 18-hour shifts for months on end.
• Medical Schools Can't Keep Up – Wall Street Journal. (4/12)
  As ranks of insured expand, nation faces shortage of 150,000 doctors in 15 years
• Md. senator, lt. gov. announce millions to train health workers – Delmarva Daily Times, MD. (4/7)
  $5 million in federal funding was designed to alleviate the state's health care worker shortage
• In Angola, health does not follow wealth – Globe and Mail, Canada. (4/7)
  The country desperately needs to solve its shortage of doctors, nurses, midwives and other health professionals.
• Medical professionals aging fast: study – Toronto Sun. (4/9)
  CIHI estimates 10% of Canadian workers are employed in the health field.

EUROPE

• Nursing a grievance – The Economist, UK. (4/8)
  The Caribbean brain drain - Raise wages, or lose staff
• Public financing of health in developing countries: a cross-national systematic analysis – The Lancet, UK. (4/9)
  Government spending on health from domestic sources is an important indicator of a government's commitment to the health of its people.
• Kenya's HIV-testing drive runs into difficulties – The Lancet, UK. (4/10)
  Kenya has less than two-thirds the counsellors needed to meet goals for this year.
• Global health worker shortage 'jeopardising' development goals – The Guardian, UK. (3/13)
  There is a critical shortage of health workers in more than 50 countries. Unless action is taken now, the majority won't hit the MDGs on health.
• International summit seeks solution to global shortage of nursing faculty. European Hospital.com. (4/8)
  The global nursing shortage is due in part to a lack of faculty in nursing schools and to nurse migration
• Maternity services struggle to cope with rise in birthrate – Wales Online. (4/7)
  Despite an increase in training places for midwives this year, the prospect of cuts in public spending could have an impact on midwife numbers next year.
• Maternity care - room for improvement – Irish Health. (4/8)
  The Government and HSE must address the shortage of midwives
• Maternal mortality: surprise, hope, and urgent action – The Lancet, UK. (4/12)
  Despite strong advocacy efforts, political leaders have either ignored the call or failed to make the health of women in pregnancy their priority
• Proposal to boost number of rural doctors sparks heated debate in Germany – British Medical Journal. (4/12)
  Germany has an oversupply of doctors in towns and cities, while rural areas face shortages of doctors
• España necesita médicos, enfermeros, ingenieros y monitores de aeróbic – ABC, Spain. (4/13)
  BOE refleja que en muchas regiones hay dificultades para encontrar médicos de todo tipo y enfermeros.

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

• Esperan miércoles 21 solucionen aumentos a médicos – El Nacional, DR. (4/13)
  Está pendiente de solución mejorar las atenciones de las personas que visitan los hospitales
• Inconformidades en Hospital Regional del ISSSTE tras la falta de personal – Puebla Hoy, Mexico. (4/12)
  Enfermeras acusan sobre carga de trabajo.
• Declaradas enfermeras en emergencia nacional falta de aumento salarial – Entorno Inteligente, Venezuela. (4/9)
  A las enfermeras les deben una indemnización de 60.000 bolívares fuertes
• Municípios debatem estratégias para a melhoria do PSF em Alagoas – O Jornal, Brazil. (4/13)
  Além de existir uma carência desses profissionais com interesse em trabalhar nos PSF’s
• Secretário da Saúde confirma carência de médicos – Correio Dos Açores, Brazil. (4/8)
  O governante sublinhou que o governo vai apostar em medidas que promovam a eficiência dos recursos humanos para que todos os açorianos tenham médico de família.
• Enfermeras se especializarán por primera vez en Chile en emergencias – Universia, Chile. (4/12)
  Cómo organizar los servicios de urgencia y emergencia para dar una respuesta inmediata a la población, sobre todo, en caso de epidemia o terremoto, es el objetivo del programa
• Subcentro afronta difícil situación – La Hora,Ecuador. (4/14)
  “Debido a la gran cantidad de pacientes que atendemos la calidad de la atención disminuye”, Médico rural del subcentro de Moraspungo

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