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Alliance News Digest

Week of 27 May 2011

NEWS FROM WHO AND PARTNERS

• Human Resources for Health at the 64th World Health Assembly - WHO – (May 2011)
  … Resolutions on HRH submitted to the 64th World Health Assembly………………
• New Publication Spotlight: Interview with Peter Rockers on Determining Priority Retention Packages to Attract and Retain Health Workers in Rural and Remote Areas in Uganda - Capacity Plus – (5/18)
  The report presents results of project to assess Ugandan health workers’ preferences for various attraction and retention strategies.
• Mali Joins Nearby Countries in Adopting CapacityPlus’s iHRIS Software - Capacity Plus – (5/23)
  To better manage its available health workforce, Mali’s Ministry of Health decided to implement iHRIS Manage.
• Key factors leading to reduced recruitment and retention of health professionals in remote areas of Ghana: a qualitative study and proposed policy solutions – HRH Journal – (5/21)
  The distribution of doctors in Ghana is highly skewed, with a majority serving in two major metropolitan areas.
• Breakfast Briefing on “State of the World's Midwifery 2011” - World Health Assembly - WHO – (5/17)
  Meeting at WHA to discuss preliminary findings of the first-ever report – The State of the World’s Midwifery.

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

• Midwives vital to curb death rate - The Citizen, Tanzania – (5/24)
  As the government strives to reach the MDGs by 2015, a fight to reduce mortality rate remains a vital mission in Tanzania.
• Envoy Highlights Achievements in Health - The New Times, Rwanda – (5/21)
  At summit in Geneva, Rwanda's Ambassador to France has highlighted country’s achievements in health sector.
• Days of doctors’ strike in Lagos is over, says commissioner - NEXT, Nigeria – (5/23)
  Government and health workers have commenced a process of building bridges to ensure that trust and rapprochement are laid
• KENYA: For want of a mask – how TB targets health workers - UN IRIN – (5/17)
  Safety equipment are rarely available in rural centres.
• Government to spend K52bn on expatriate medical workers - Lusaka Times, Zambia – (5/21)
  According to Health Minister, government is doing everything possible to employ more staff to help meet the demand for healthcare services.
• How private investors can resuscitate healthcare sector - Business Daily, Kenya – (5/25)
  Private investments could help ease the pressure in public hospitals.
• 'People Need More Mobile Hospital' - Times of Zambia – (5/25)
  Mobile hospitals are considered as a way of ensuring that as many people as possible access medical services closer to their homes.
• Equipment Shortages in Our Hospitals - The Ghanaian Chronicle – (5/23)
  There is a major crisis brewing in Ghanaian hospitals which involves equipment, infrastructure and personnel.
• Malawi: Rural Areas Still Struggle to Access Medicines - Inter Press Service – (5/25)
  Inadequate number of nurses and pharmacists is among the leading factors denying people access to medicines in Malawi.
• Nigeria: UN, NGOs Want FG to Give Priority to Recruitment of Midwives - Vanguard, Nigeria – (5/20)
  UNFPA said the shortage of midwives remained a challenge to Maternal, Newborn and Child Health care delivery in Nigeria

ASIA AND PACIFIC

• Aspiring nurses warned: 287,000 can't find work - The Philippine Star – (5/21)
  Hundreds of thousands of nurses remain jobless because of a saturated market.
• Underutilised nurses hit health efforts in Gujarat - Daily News and Analysis, India – (5/22)
  District public health nurses remain underutilised affecting the quality of maternal and child health services in districts of Gujarat.
• City faces medicos crunch - The Times of India – (5/23)
  Hospital administrators say that three times the current number of medical colleges are needed to fill the gap in Hyderabad.
• Doctor shortage is worsening - Bangkok Post – (5/23)
  Newly graduated doctors willingly pay fine to avoid three-year rural internship in state hospitals.
• Desire to serve still drives some doctors in India - India Today – (5/26)
  A band of young doctors is giving up lucrative assignments and even risking their lives to serve in rural areas on a voluntary basis.
• NCP hospitals short of doctors - Daily News, Sri Lanka – (5/26)
  This situation has caused the closure of six rural hospitals. There is a dearth of around 175 doctors in the North Central Province.
• Over 300 medical institutions in coastal areas hit by tsunami not operating - The Mainichi Daily News, Japan – (5/26)
  The figures highlight the impact of the disaster on medical care in the area.
• Health increases telehealth bounty for specialists - CIO, AU – (5/20)
  $216.3 million more up for grabs in incentives and rebates over online consultations.
• Beyond money: what do rural doctors want? - Crikey, AU – (5/24)
  Throwing more money at GPs is not going to solve the rural supply problem, expert says

NORTH AMERICA

• A Doctor’s Push for Single-Payer Health Care for All Finds Traction in Vermont – The New York Times – (5/21)
  Dr. Deb Richter wanted Vermont to become the first state to adopt a single-payer health care system.
• Reimbursement Mechanisms, Sustainability Are Keys To Telehealth Success – InformationWeek – (5/20)
  New Mexico study shows promise in extending specialty care to rural areas, but new payment models are needed.
• Healthcare Jobs on the Rise - US News and World Report – (5/19)
  Doctors of all kinds are in short supply, as is almost everybody delivering care.
• IT expert: Health care changes coming - Cincinnati.com – (5/20)
  Electronic records mean the doctors know in advance, exactly what the patients need.
• Primary care doctors ill-equipped to discuss children's mental health, parents say - American Medical News – (5/23)
  Physicians say they are hindered because of the lack of training they received on the subject and the time limits of an office visit.
• Funding National Health Workforce Commission Key to Meeting Community and Rural Health Workforce Needs - PR Newswire – (5/24)
  National Health Workforce Commission, first step to developing a comprehensive and coordinated national health workforce strategy.
• More Primary Care Docs in a Community Equals Healthier Seniors - US News and World Report – (5/24)
  Study found fewer preventable hospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries.
• Profesionales inmigrantes luchan por validar sus carreras - El Comercio, USA – (5/24)
  EEUU necesita médicos, pero las barreras que enfrentan los profesionales inmigrantes para entrar al sistema actual son difíciles.
• End restrictions on family doctors - Montreal Gazette – (5/21)
  Montreal needs an immediate change in the way the supply of family doctors is managed, expert says.

EUROPE

• Violence against Chinese health-care workers - The Lancet, UK – (5/21)
  Chinese health-care workers wounded, disabled, or even killed by patients or their relatives: Some possible causes of this situation.
• Health professionals under threat in Bahrain - The Lancet, UK – (5/21)
  Bahrain has embarked on a brutal repression of professionals, including medical staff, so far without substantial western sanction.
• Drain or gain? – The Economist, UK – (5/26)
  Poor countries can end up benefiting when their brightest citizens emigrate.
• More hospital deaths on weekends – Reuters – (5/20)
  According to a new analysis, an extra 20 to 25 thousand people die each year in the US because of admission on a weekend.
• 'The tensions around specialist nursing cannot be ignored' - Nursing Times.net – (5/24)
  This week sees three contrasting reports on the role of specialist nurses in the NHS.
• CA calls for end to GP contract ‘restrictions’ - Irish Medical Times – (5/19)
  GPs should be entitled to get contracts to treat public patients in the same way they are free to set up to treat private patients
• Glaxo to reinvest £3.5 million of Africa profits in healthcare - The Guardian, UK – (5/24)
  Should other big companies that are active in Africa follow suit?
• G8 must act on health workers (Letter) - The Guardian, UK – (5/26)
  G8 summit in Deauville is a chance for world leaders to step up their support for healthcare that saves children's and mothers' lives.
• Santé: Médecins du Monde salue une résolution de l'OMS - Romandie News – (5/19)
  L'Assemblée générale de l'Organisation mondiale de la santé à Genève promeut une couverture universelle pour les soins médicaux.
• Taking baby steps - The Guardian, UK – (5/24)
  The chronic shortage of midwives in Sierra Leone costs many lives but with the help of VSO, work has begun to address the problem.

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

• Mortalidad materna no se erradica por 3 causas - La Prensa, Bolivia – (5/21)
  Parto en la casa, demora en buscar ayuda y el acceso a un centro de salud son los factores de riesgo.
• Cancelan o retrasan consultas en IMSS; escasean especialistas - El Diario, Mexico – (5/22)
  Siguen las dificultades para atraer médicos a trabajar en la frontera.
• Un 81% de los médicos cree que empeoró la valoración de su trabajo - La República, Uruguay – (5/24)
  Informe sobre los aspectos más relevantes del ejercicio profesional de los médicos en Uruguay: Conclusiones.
• "En los hospitales y clínicas somos mano de obra barata" - La Voz, Argentina – (5/25)
  Los residentes aseguran que sus obligaciones van más allá de su formación y cumplen funciones que no les corresponden.
• La jornada laboral de 8 horas diarias para los médicos se afina - El Comercio, Ecuador – (5/23)
  Médicos y enfermeras deberán ajustarse a este nuevo horario recibiendo mejores remuneraciones y estímulos económicos en recompensa.
• BE quer aumentar número de médicos no SNS - TVi24, Brazil – (5/25)
  Solução passa por manter profissionais reformados que queiram continuar a trabalhar e atrair os jovens que estudam Medicina no estrangeiro