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Alliance News Digest

Week of 20 May 2011

NEWS FROM WHO AND PARTNERS

• Accountability Commission for health of women and children - WHO – (5/19)
  HEALTH ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT PRESENTED AT WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY
• LDC Summit Adopts Consensus Istanbul Programme with Population, Youth, Women among Nations’ Action Priorities – UNFPA – (5/13)
  “Least developed countries’ greatest assets are their women, men and children” the Istanbul Programme declares
• Let's raise our hands for health workers on the frontline of conflict - Merlin, UK – (5/16)
  This May Merlin’s campaign team will be at the World Health Assembly alongside Merlin campaign ambassador Miatta, a health worker from Liberia.
• LKL/LIDC/AMREF Workshop: Designing Mobile Learning Activities for Training on the Nursing Process – AMREF – (5/17)
  The format will be very hands-on and practical, involving a lot of group work, presentation and discussion.
• HRH Global Resource Center Launches New Tutorials - Capacity Plus – (5/17)
  Three new online tutorials introduce new users to the GRC.
• Supporting the Dominican Republic’s Focus on Public Health Human Resources Management - Capacity Plus – (5/16)
  CapacityPlus helps officials in the Dominican Republic to refine and strengthen the human resources management systems.
• Human resources for health and decentralization policy in the Brazilian health system – HRH Journal – (5/17)
  Due to decentralization, the HRH area has been restructured and policies beyond traditional administrative activities have been developed.
• Rebuilding human resources for health: a case study from Liberia – HRH Journal – (5/12)
  After years of civil war, Liberia rebuilds its health system with an emphasis on increasing the size and capacity of its HRH

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

• Health Workers displeased over poor conditions - The New Age, SA – (5/10)
  Health workers at Gauteng’s three provincial hospitals are outraged over their “unbearable working conditions”
• Health workers dig their heels in - Mmegi, Botswana – (5/16)
  Striking public service employees have challenged the classification of health workers as providers of an essential service who cannot go on strike.
• BENIN: Skills Upgrade for Midwives Saves Lives - Inter Press Service – (5/11)
  A vast training programme for health workers was launched with the support from the national budget in Benin to avoid maternal deaths.
• Only one nurse for every 216 South Africans - Moneyweb, SA – (5/13)
  Reopening of nursing colleges is crucial.
• Nurses deserve public support, respect (Editorial) - The Post, Zambia – (5/17)
  We cannot expect an overstretched and stressed nurses to offer good care to their patients.
• Editorial: Improving Doctor-Patient Ratio - Daily Graphic, Ghana – (5/11)
  One major challenge of healthcare delivery in Ghana has been the low doctor-patient ratio.
• Sudanese doctors go on strike - Sudan Tribune – (5/17)
  Doctors allege the government is not fulfilling its promised obligations related to improving pay and work conditions.
• Foundation dishes out 219m/- for upgrading of health centres - The Guardian, Tanzania – (5/11)
  Money was spent to train health care professionals and purchase materials and facilities for expecting women and children at risk.
• IMA: Comptroller gives credence to our demands - The Jerusalem Post – (5/18)
  Ministry criticized for weak health services, staff shortages.

ASIA AND PACIFIC

• People turning to quacks for want of doctors, says CM - The News International, Pakistan – (5/15)
  Chief Minister urged the PMA to assist the government in making doctors available to rural health centres
• Hospitals need 40,000 more nurses - Manila Bulletin – (5/15)
  Public nursing workforce needs to be augmented by as much as 60 percent to achieve the recommended nurse-to-patient ratio.
• Thousands of patients suffer as doctors go on strike - The News International, Pakistan – (5/17)
  Only serious patients brought to the emergency were provided necessary treatment.
• Patients, doctors unhappy with poor medical and health services — DAP - The Borneo Post – (5/15)
  Complaints about the services rendered by the Health Minister to Sabahans in terms of medicinal quality, supplies and equipment
• Patient’s Painful Ordeal Highlights Crisis at Overloaded Public Hospital - Jakarta Globe – (5/15)
  The key to preventing overcrowding at hospitals was through strict implementation of the National Social Security System Law, expert says.
• Yemen Faces Older Birth Pangs As Well - Inter Press Service – (5/17)
  An estimated 2,555 women in Yemen die annually during childbirth because they do not have access to proper health facilities.
• Some rural health reaction on the budget - Crikey, AU – (5/10)
  Preliminary reaction from leaders in rural and remote health.

NORTH AMERICA

• Nursing Homes Seek Exemptions From Health Law - The New York Times – (5/15)
  Nursing homes and home care agencies alarmed at the cost of providing health insurance to hundreds of thousands of health care workers.
• The Growing Shortage in New Jersey Nursing - New Jersey Spotlight – (5/16)
  Healthcare reform will demand more and more nurses -- rather than pricey doctors -- but where will they come from?
• Survey: Access to primary care lagging in Mass. - Bloomberg BusinessWeek – (5/09)
  According to the report, patients unable to see a primary care physician are likely to seek more expensive emergency room treatment.
• Study challenges rural lack of access to surgery - The Seattle Times – (5/16)
  A surprising study says older residents in rural areas are more likely to have any of nine common surgeries than people in cities.
• WellPoint Shakes Up Hospital Payments - The Wall Street Journal – (5/16)
  The company will pay increases only to hospitals that score high enough on a test based on indicators of treatment quality.
• Doctors often struggle to show compassion while dealing with patients - The Washington Post – (5/17)
  Expressing compassion has been a challenge for doctors because of managed care, large patient volumes and electronic medical records.
• Ontario gives green light to record number of foreign doctors - The Star, CA – (5/10)
  Ontario licensed a record 3,708 doctors last year — 41 per cent of them from other countries.
• Doctors diagnose stroke with iPhone app - CBC News, CA – (5/09)
  An iPhone application developed in Canada, allows doctors to diagnose a stroke in a patient thousands of kilometres away.

EUROPE

• Earthquake in Japan - The Lancet, UK – (5/14)
  The weak primary-care system has left hospitals overwhelmed after earthquake, with patients seeking attention for non-urgent needs.
• Fighting fake drugs: the role of WHO and pharma (Editorial) - The Lancet, UK – (5/14)
  Up to 15% of all drugs sold worldwide are estimated to be fake.
• NHS reforms: get ready for Plan B - The Guardian, UK – (5/16)
  Health has become a serious political problem for the coalition.
• Twitter 'vital' link to patients, say doctors in Japan - BBC News – (5/13)
  Japanese doctors say social networking sites have been vital in notifying patients where to get medication.
• Nurse shortage feared after UK eases employment rules - The News, Poland – (5/16)
  While Polish hospitals are already lacking at least 50,000 nurses, several thousand more of them could up and leave for Britain.
• WHO report: Diseases once linked to rich nations increasingly affect poor - The Guardian, UK – (5/17)
  Progress has been made on key MDG health targets, but non-infectious diseases have spread to developing countries.
• "Développement excessif" des honoraires libres chez les médecins spécialistes - Le Monde, France – (5/17)
  Les nouveaux médecins qui s'installent sont bien plus nombreux à décider de pratiquer des dépassements.
• El recorte dispara el desempleo de las enfermeras más jóvenes - El Periódico de Catalunya, Spain – (5/17)
  El recorte dispara el desempleo de las enfermeras más jóvenes.

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

• Son menos los jóvenes que estudian medicina - El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico – (5/16)
  De seguir el patrón, vaticinan una crisis para el 2020.
• País sin médicos: la verdadera crisis - El Tiempo, Colombia – (5/17)
  En Colombia se están acabando los médicos generales, los médicos especialistas y las enfermeras.
• Justificada alarma por la crisis que atraviesan los médicos terapistas - El Día, Argentina – (5/18)
  Los profesionales platenses obtienen bajas remuneraciones y sufren un alto nivel de estrés.
• Compromiso para el laudo único médico - El País, Uruguay – (5/17)
  Independientemente del sector en el que se trabaje, para un mismo cargo, la remuneración y las condiciones laborales serán iguales.
• Sólo dos médicos para más de 2 mil reos en Cochabamba - Opinión, Bolivia – (5/15)
  En el país, apenas existen 29 médicos para asistir a una población de 9.664 presos.
• Más jóvenes y más hombres quieren estudiar enfermería - La Voz, Argentina – (5/12)
  Cada vez hay más interés por cursar esta carrera, porque tiene una rápida salida laboral.
• “Pacientes con VIH no son prioridad” - La Prensa Gráfica, El Salvador – (5/13)
  Las terapias se dan en el Rosales a portadores del VIH. Sobrecarga por falta de médicos: ven cada dos meses a los pacientes.
• Governo quer 2,5 médicos por mil habitantes até 2020 - Estadão, Brazil – (5/19)
  Governo quer que número de formados por ano aumente para 20 mil e que os novos médicos tenham perfil para atuar no SUS