Is “transformation” one of the most overused words in relation to the NHS and the issues it faces? Just last week, I heard a NHS deputy CEO joke that the […]
Guest writers
Tara Lamont: On biography, cancer, and Richard Doll
I’m a sucker for the lives of great men (and, occasionally, women) in medicine. This is particularly the case when it comes to those who lived in the 20th century, whose lives are […]
Abdullah Aljoudi: An epidemic free Hajj
“Complete the pilgrimages … for the sake of God” Quran 2:196 The 2014 Hajj was epidemic-free, according to Saudi Arabia’s acting health minister. In addition to the regular Hajj health regulations, this […]
Abdullah Aljoudi: Are you fit for the journey of a lifetime?
“Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to God by people who are able to undertake it.” Quran 2:97. On Friday 3 October, over three million Muslims from more […]
Alex Horne: The expense of neglecting adolescent mental health
The chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, recently called for more support for mental health services in her annual report, which highlighted how mental illness led to the loss of 70 […]
Hugh Alderwick: The ups and downs on the road to health service improvement
Parallels between the successful transformation of the Veterans Health Administration (VA) in the United States and the changes needed in the NHS in England have been made for a number […]
Ahmed Rashid: “Physics envy” in evidence based medicine
Researchers have long debated the relative complexity and importance of different scientific disciplines. Traditionally, sciences that used the most mathematical equations—such as physics—were deemed the most intellectual and placed at […]
Ian Bushfield: Respond to EMA and FDA consultations
On Monday 15 September, two important consultations (one by the EMA and one by the FDA) will close, ending the public’s opportunity to respond to these consultations and help defend the independent […]
Dawn Richards: A Canadian arthritis patient charter
In 2014 the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (CAPA) undertook the creation of an Arthritis Patient Charter. The arthritis community in Canada has a history of collaboration, to which this project […]
Roy K Philip: New “Kerala model” on alcohol policy: Great public health initiative or an “alco-pops” repeat?
The Indian state of Kerala has the highest alcohol consumption per head in India (8.3 litres against the national average of 4 litres,[1] while also being credited with the highest […]