The power of a professor: Health Care Provision for ‘deserving’ refugees in Germany
The power of a professor: Health Care Provision for ‘deserving’ refugees in Germany According to article 20 of German basic law, the Federal Republic of Germany is a democratic and social federal state which implies the provision of social security for everybody... More…
Digital health divides
Potential health gains from the digital revolution have been widely heralded, if yet to be fully realised. But who are likely to be the biggest winners and losers of this revolution? In this blog, I suggest that to harness the... More…
THE NHS: TO PROVIDE ALL PEOPLE
I offer a very contemporary comment this week, having come across this recent BBC programme for the 70thanniversary of the NHS, by Owen Sheers (poet) and Pip Broughton (director). The programme – ‘The NHS: to provide all people’ was a... More…
Medical Marijuana
The War on Drugs: A New Era? The high profile case of Billy Caldwell, a 12-year-old boy with life-threatening seizures, has again raised questions about the legal status of marijuana. Billy has a form of epilepsy that causes uncontrollable and... More…
Extreme Waxing
The Normalisation of Hair Free Female Bodies Talking to a beautician friend about hair removal and summer beautification regimes led to a discussion about fashions in bikini waxing and hair removal. Interestingly she said she had noticed generational differences in... More…
The NHS at 70: For platinum-level care, it’s time for everyone to reaffirm their vows
Describing the care his mother received in an NHS hospital Russell Brand recently wrote, “The NHS is the very best of us, it is a living, breathing, healing mother goddess born of war and sacrifice sustained by love and dedication.”... More…
Resuscitating CAMHS: Something has to be done
A few years back I found myself on a first aid course. Tom, the elderly chap teaching us CPR, took a break from resuscitating his unusually antiquated dummy to solemnly address his audience. One of our group had asked what... More…
Cancer culture clash?
If we over-stress the need for cancer patients to be courageous fighters, are we running the risk of denying them the chance of a peaceful end to life? Cancer, in its many different forms, is rarely out of the news.... More…
Disaster news, the media and cultural bias
Rarely a week goes by without a natural disaster hitting the headlines. This month, news coverage has included the eruption of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii, flooding in the Turkish city of Ankara, and storms in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in... More…
Co-payments for universal healthcare: the politics of blame
It was interesting to see the UK media discussion around the Co-Funding and Co-Payment Bill which was put before the House of Commons for its 2nd reading last week. The Parliamentary webpage describes it as “a Bill to make provision for co-funding... More…
Incentivizing vulnerability: Regulating migration
Around 9,000 young people who arrived as unaccompanied children and claimed asylum have been denied a residence permit in Sweden since 2015. With a peak of new arrivals in 2015, the waiting time for decisions increased dramatically from a matter of... More…
NHS staff discover they will get hundreds of pounds less than many thought