Stories about Health from March, 2009
Azerbaijan: Like a virgin (reprise)
Following on from earlier posts on the matter of virginity in Armenia, Scary Azeri in Suburbs recounts the situation in Azerbaijan. The blog concludes that medical techniques to restore a bride's virginity for her wedding night are more advanced in the former Soviet Union than in the West.
Latvia: Health Care Budget Cuts
Latvian Abroad cites an example of how “the budget cuts are taking their toll” in Latvia: “Sometimes, it's a very heavy toll.”
Barbados: Moving On Up?
“Will Barbados’ proposed housing developments be part of an economic and social package that is geared to give people a better standard of living?”: Living in Barbados questions the wisdom of high-rise developments on the island.
Azerbaijan: Corrupt Medicine
Scary Azeri in Suburbs continues to compare life in England with that in Azerbaijan. In particular, speaking from experience, she compares health-care in the UK to that available in the former Soviet Union.
Cuba: Antúnez Surrounded
Uncommon Sense and Octavo Cerco share their thoughts on reports that the Cuban police “have surrounded the home of Cuban dissident Jorge Luis García Pérez (Antúnez), who for more than a month has [led] a hunger strike to protest abuses by the Castro dictatorship.”
Libya: From Funerals to Weddings
From the death of a cousin after a lethal penicillin injection to discussing why Libyan men prefer marrying 'stupid' women over those who are educated, Fozia Mohamed sifts through posts written by established and new bloggers in her country to bring us those stories and more.
Israel Boasts Top Researchers in Medical Marijuana
Caught with cannabis in Israel? It may very well go to a good use. Israelity reveals that Israel has one of the top medical marijuana programs in the world, treating pain associated with cancer, HIV, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, and post-traumatic stress syndrome, with the narcotic.
Ghana: mPedigree Fights Counterfeit Drugs Using SMS
mPedigree is a company in Ghana using text messaging to fight counterfeit drugs. Last year 3000 people sent messages in a pilot scheme. They received replies from manufacturers in an average of three minutes.
Jordan: Psychological Problems
A million Jordanians suffer from psychological problems. Osamaa Al Romh discusses the phenomena in this post [Ar].
Russia: Demographics and Abortion
Russian Policy Daily translates from an interview on Russia's demographics, quoting and citing Svetlana Rudneva, head of the “Family and Childhood” foundation.
Barbados, Montserrat: Mountain Chickens
Blogging from Barbados, Gallimaufry is concerned about the fate of the Montserrat mountain chicken.
Israel: Israeli Innovations Light the Way in Africa
A Jewish Heart for Africa is providing Israeli technology in the form of solar power and drip irrigation to needy communities in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda. “We are pumping 20,000 liters of water per day — it’s changed the entire economics of the village and the peoples’ health,” says founder...
Bangladesh: Floating Hospital
Bangladesh is inundated with heavy monsoon rain and floods every year. Mikey Leung reports that :”In the face of this rising tide, one organization has developed a novel solution. They’re delivering high quality health care to Bangladesh’s poorest people, in floating hospitals.”
Zimbabwe: Massive discrepancies in medical costs
A detailed story about massive discrepancies in medical costs in Zimbabwe from Sokwanele's subscriber.
Ukraine: Boy Dies of Cancer As Bank Wouldn’t Give Money Back
Ukrainiana writes about a 12-year-old boy who died of cancer at a Donetsk hospital, while his family tried to find money to be able to afford treatment abroad: “Oleksiy's aunt had Hr. 32,000 (approximately $4,000) on deposit at Pryvatbank. She wanted to use her savings to save Oleksiy. Prvyatbank wouldn’t...
Ukraine, U.S.: Aid to Chernobyl-Affected Area Hospital
MoldovAnn writes about ongoing attempts to help a Ukrainian hospital in the Chernobyl-affected area to receive a humanitarian aid donation from a U.S. NGO.
India: Steps to Prevent “Yoga Piracy”
India has organized a team of researchers and scientists to identify and record all ancient yoga positions (or asanas) in an attempt to prevent people living in other countries from patenting this existing knowledge.
Guatemala: Opposition to Mining Operations
A recent BBC story reported on skin infections showing up in several indigenous communities in Guatemala. Many from the community and other activists are placing blame on an open-pit mining company for the health problems. These new findings are the latest in a series of arguments about the negative effects of mining. Bloggers have joined the online debate that say that mining is damaging and dangerous for local communities and the environment.
Russia: Drug Abuse; Pancakes Recipe
Windows to Russia writes about drug abuse in Moscow. On a positive note, here's a link to a Russian pancakes recipe.
Malawi: Using Mobile Technology In Healthcare
Jopsa announces a new project in Malawi, FrontlineSMS:Medic, “After almost a year of working with FrontlineSMS in Malawi, we are launching FrontlineSMS:Medic to extend the capabilities of this software and bring it to health centers across several continents.
Medical checklist reduces surgical deaths
Le Pangolin [Fr] writes about a surgery checklist piloted in hospitals in 8 countries, including the United States and Tanzania. Studies show the checklist, designed by American doctor Atul Gawande, reduces mortality related to surgicial complications by a third.
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