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Alliance News Digest

Week of 25 March 2011

News related to/from the Global Health Workforce Alliance

• Implementing Health Workforce Plans Together - Interview with Laurence Codjia, Technical Officer at the Global Health Workforce Alliance - Capacity Plus – (March 2011)
  A key obstacle to greater progress on the global health workforce crisis is the difficulty in putting plans into action.

NEWS FROM WHO AND PARTNERS

• Contribute to the public hearing on the draft guidelines for monitoring the implementation of the WHO Code – WHO – (March 2011)
  All persons concerned with the international recruitment of health personnel are invited to contribute to this public hearing on the Guidelines
• HRH Global Resource Center Creates Subject Guide on Faith-Based Organizations - Capacity Plus – (3/17)
  The Guide includes materials on FBOs, including their influence on HIV/AIDS, family planning, and maternal health.
• Advancing the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health – UNFPA – (3/17)
  “Every Woman, Every Child”, is a roadmap that identifies finance and policy requirements plus critical interventions to improve health and save lives.
• The Effect of Lay Health Worker Programmes on Mother and Child Health and Tuberculosis - Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services – (3/24)
  Video of a Cochrane Review - published on YouTube

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

• KENYA: Nurses' go-slow highlights ills at maternity hospital - UN IRIN – (3/18)
  Nurses at Pumwani Maternity Hospital staged a go-slow on 16 March to protest at being overworked
• Uncertainty Over Role for Traditional Birth Attendants – IPS – (3/15)
  The long-term solution must be to increase the number of trained midwives to fill the gap imperfectly filled by TBAs, experts say.
• Health sector still ailing despite GNU - Zimbabwe Independent – (3/17)
  Shortage of human resources is the major challenge to reach the MDGs in three areas by 2015.
• Improving Doctor to Patient Ratio Vital to Health Sector (Editorial) - The New Times, Rwanda – (3/20)
  The Minister of Health announced the move to double the number of doctors operating in the field.
• Tame Crisis in the Health Sector - The Monitor, Uganda – (3/21)
  Why should Mulago National Referral Hospital, the embodiment of Uganda's healthcare system, be plagued by endless problems?
• Integrating HIV Care with Broader Maternal and Child Health – IPS – (3/20)
  The Kakamega maternity clinic integrated HIV services into routine maternal and child care three years ago with total success
• Doctors Warn About 'Club Culture' Costing Lives - Leadership, Nigeria – (3/22)
  The NHS needs to undergo a major culture change to drive up standards and save hundreds of lives, according to a new report.
• UGANDA: IDPs hit by ARV Shortages, Poor HIV Care in the North - IRIN PlusNews – (3/22)
  Internally displaced people in northern Uganda have to stay in camps for better access to healthcare.
• 'Promises to strengthen health service in periphery unkept' - The Jerusalem Post – (3/16)
  Taub Center study shows gaps remain between Center and other areas.

ASIA AND PACIFIC

• Make rural service compulsory for medical students - The Financial Express, Bangladesh – (3/22)
  The acute shortage of doctors, nurses and technicians in rural hospitals has forced many patients to resort to traditional healers or to seek medical care in the capital
• Clinicians must give priority to patient care - The Star, Malaysia – (3/22)
  Senior clinicians must send a clear message to junior doctors that their priority, and most important work, is patient care related.
• Crack down on quack doctors - Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka – (3/22)
  Health Minister instructed to raid all illegal dispensaries run by unqualified people
• From rebel to Taiwan's first 'doctor without borders' - The China Post – (3/21)
  The young physician Dr. Raymond Soong, is the Taiwan's first MSF doctor.
• VIEW: Punjab government and the young doctors —Dr Syed Mansoor Hussain - Daily Times, Pakistan – (3/21)
  Most of these young physicians out in the streets are the ones who are indeed the ‘future’ of the healthcare system of this province.
• Hospitals struggling to treat patients - Daily Yomiuri, Japan – (3/19)
  Doctors and nurses are doing all they can to provide treatment and nursing care, but conditions are worsening day by day.
• For Maternal Health, Go Door to Door – IPS – (3/16)
  For the last 17 years, Keshari Maharjan has been going door to door to tell people about the services available at health centres in Nepali capital.
• Fear on methadone doctor shortage - The Age, AU – (3/20)
  The number of Victorians dying from drug overdoses or suicide will rise if more doctors are not recruited to treat heroin addicts.

NORTH AMERICA

• Will There Be Enough Primary-Care Physicians To Treat New Medicaid Patients? – The Wall Street Journal – (3/18)
  In most areas of the country, growth in Medicaid enrollment will “greatly outpace” growth in the number of primary-care doctors, study reveals
• White House Seeks to Boost Public Support for Health Bill – The Wall Street Journal – (3/18)
  The next phase of the law will focus on arcane policy changes designed to gradually lower the cost of health care
• When Nurse Staffing Drops, Mortality Rates Rise: Study - Bloomberg Businessweek – (3/16)
  Experts say finding shows clear link to patient safety.
• Report Highlights Shortage of HIV Care Providers in U.S. - Bloomberg Businessweek – (3/18)
  Gap widening between number infected and those trained to treat these patients, experts say.
• Healthcare shortages expected for aging boomers - Bradenton Herald, Florida – (3/22)
  As the 78 million baby boomers live longer, the country will face a shortage of professionals trained to meet the special needs of the elderly.
• Medical students promised debt relief for practising in rural areas - The Vancouver Sun – (3/23)
  Recent graduates will receive loan forgiveness for up to five years

EUROPE

• Libyan exodus creates refugee and health worker crisis - The Lancet, UK – (3/19)
  Aid agencies are scrambling to respond to the physical and mental health needs of tens of thousands of refugees who have fled the fighting in Libya
• Romania plans changes to clinical trials system - The Lancet, UK – (3/19)
  Doctors in Romania are up in arms about legislation that would see their payments for undertaking clinical trials severely cut.
• Get men in the delivery room, say Bangladesh's first midwives - The Guardian, UK – (3/17)
  One-in-500 women die in childbirth in Bangladesh – with cultural factors as much to blame as a lack of medical care.
• Bahrain hospitals under siege as soldiers maintain Manama crackdown - The Guardian, UK – (3/20)
  Doctors arrested or prevented from working as martial law in tiny Gulf state approaches second week
• ‘Shocking’ £110m NHS bill for hiring agency doctors - The Press and Journal, UK – (3/18)
  Agency doctors in Scotland can cost up to £104 an hour compared with £11 for internal staff, depending on grade and time of shift.
• New government is to introduce universal primary care for Ireland - British Medical Journal – (3/21)
  The move will guarantee access to medical care based on clinical need rather than an ability to pay.
• 50% of Bulgarians Believe Health Is at Risk - Poll - Novinite, Bulgaria – (3/17)
  23% of Bulgarians polled believe the lack of funding is the main problem in the health care sector.
• Médicos de família podem trabalhar mais sete horas - Economico, Portugal – (3/23)
  Governo diz que aumento do horário vai dar médico de família a mais 125 mil portugueses.
• La nouvelle mission des médecins hospitaliers - Le Monde, France – (3/15)
  L'hôpital public est menacé: un système déficitaire n'est pas éternel.
• El 30% de los médicos sufre el síndrome de 'burnout' - Europapress, Spain – (3/21)
  El síndrome de 'burnout' o síndrome 'del quemado', aparece en situaciones con "elevada sobrecarga laboral".

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

• El largo adiós a los manicomios en Argentina – IPS – (3/17)
  La nueva ley de salud mental aprobada en Argentina implica el progresivo cierre de los psiquiátricos. .
• A falta de internistas, médicos familiares- El Salvador.com – (3/23)
  El problema se debe a que los profesionales se niegan a ir a la zona rural, según Salud
• Salud: emergencia se extiende más - Diario Opinión, Ecuador – (3/24)
  El Ejecutivo anunció que se amplió el decreto de Emergencia de Salud, dispuesto el pasado 10 de enero.
• Revelan alarmante déficit de médicos especialistas - El Mercurio de Valparaiso, Chile – (3/20)
  Los sueldos en el área pública son muy bajos y los médicos prefieren irse a la salud privada, explicó el Presidente del Colegio Médico Local.
• SALUD MENTAL: la gran tragedia de Puerto Rico - El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico – (3/23)
  El modelo de prestación de servicios de Mi Salud, principal obstáculo para lograr un mejoramiento en los servicios al ciudadano
• Venezuela: la medicina comunitaria divide a los doctores - El Nacional, Venezuela – (3/19)
  Críticos aseguran que estudiantes del programa de Medicina Integral Comunitaria reciben una formación "precaria".
• The anatomy of poor health care - Trinidad Express, Trinidad and Tobago – (3/20)
  The shortage of doctors and nurses has been a challenge for T&T for far too long and it is time to properly assess the issue.