Today marks the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, and health reporters around the world have filed related stories.
* From the Associated Press we get an update on the World Trade Center Health Registry, which so far reveals up to 70,000 people suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, and up to 12,600 from asthma, as a result of the New York attacks. [Associated Press]
* The Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald writes about an experimental virtual reality trauma re-exposure treatment centre at Cornell University. [Sydney Morning Herald]
* Three US congressmen are criticizing the federal Department of Health and Human Services for "continued foot-dragging" on moving ahead with a new health plan for rescue workers with 9/11-related medical problems. [New York Sun]
* Meanwhile, however, The New Yorker has a new article by Jennifer Kahn, "A Cloud of Smoke," that reveals the vehement behind-the-scenes clinical disagreements that have plagued the effort to create a compensation plan for New York residents and workers injured as a result of the attacks. [The New Yorker] The Associated Press wonders whether Ms Kahn's article will set back progress on establishing the compensation plan. [Associated Press]
* Many rescue workers and Lower Manhattan residents have still not been treated for physical and mental health problems caused by the attacks, reports the WTC Medical Working Group, a research body overseen by the city government under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. [Environment News Service]
The location of Montreal's long-planned French superhospital is at the centre of (yet another) fight between the province's medical specialists union and the government. The current disagreement, according to Health Minister Yves Bolduc, threatens to delay the already delayed project by up to a further five years. [Montreal Gazette]
Dr Jerry Richard, who just moved to Nipawin, Saskatchewan, a week ago, is holding a lottery to determine which patients will be accepted into his practice. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan seems to be okay with the idea. [Canadian Press]
The Agriculture Department of Quebec is under fire for its "draconian" anti-listeriosis decisions, including cheese-discarding fromagerie raids. [Canadian Press]
A McGill professor claims Canada's outdated and flawed intellectual property and patent laws are pushing us towards a pharmaceutical crisis. "If things don't change, we're going to all have fewer medicines to treat whatever the next diseases are," E Richard Gold says. [The Globe and Mail]
British Columbia will not introduce new limits on drug company's gifts to doctors, says Health Minister George Abbott. CMA President Dr Robert Ouellet sees no problem with that. [Georgia Straight]
Canada's public drug plans rank near the bottom of 18 surveyed developed countries, according to the new Wyatt Health International Comparison Study. [Wyatt Health Management]
What distinguishes large hospitals from small ones, from a Canadian doctor's perspective: no free parking, interminable waits for the elevator, cell phones don't work inside the building, and more. [Med Valley High]
Arthrospocic surgery for knee osteoarthritis is of no use, report researchers in the New England Journal of Medicine. [NEJM] [LA Times] The study, which has garnered a great deal of international attention, was conducted by researchers from the University of Western Ontario. [UWO]
Blogged with the Flock Browser
{ 0 comments... read them below or add one }
Post a Comment