The power went off about 40 minutes ago. It wasn’t an unexpected happening. I was told when I arrived here that power outages are scheduled for during the day on […]
Guest writers
Monica Jackson on the earthquake in New Zealand
The following account is based on an email I wrote to my friends and family on 23 February, describing my experiences working as a house officer at Christchurch Public Hospital […]
Jodi Dixon: Taking part in clinical trials – what is it like to be a human guinea pig?
Since the start of September I’ve had over 20 needles in my arms. I’ve had cannulas inserted, numerous ECGs, worn halters for hours and taken three different types of medication. […]
Mervyn Dean reflects on culture specific medicine
In the past 10 days or so I’ve settled into some sort of routine at KCMC, seeing patients on the wards in the morning, and in the afternoons either following […]
David Kerr on Barack Obama’s visit to Silicon Valley
Here on the edge of Silicon Valley we have just had a visit from Barack Obama. His schedule included closed door meetings with the tsars of technology; Jobs (Apple), Zuckerberg […]
Bruce Weaver: IPPF launches films about contraception
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global organisation formed in 1952 with the aim of promoting sexual and reproductive health around the world, especially in developing countries. It […]
David Kerr: Social medicine
“The UK coalition government’s proposals for health reform have generated much heat without a great deal of light. One predictable response has been the “concern” that the private sector is […]
Mervyn Dean on palliative care in Tanzania
It would be a stretch to say that I have now adapted to the African way, but after three weeks here at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, […]
Vanessa Hattersley on getting rid of VAT on fruit smoothies
Although innocent is a relatively young company (12 years old in 2011), it has a long history of campaigning for the reduction of VAT on fruit juice and smoothies. Both […]
Kostia Pertsovskyi: In Ukraine, opioid substitution therapy for injecting drug users is under threat
In Ukraine the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is the highest in Europe, and injecting drug use is the primary driver. A new law passed in January 2011 reaffirmed state guarantees for […]