THIS WEEK: Striking doctors suspend emergency services Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | On the 9th day of the doctors strike under their Uganda Medical Association (UMA) that started on Nov. 06, medical interns announced that they were joining them citing intimidation by their seniors. Interns who had been in a …
Read More »UN warns fuel running out for Yemen hospitals
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United Nations warned Wednesday that fuel supplies needed to run Yemen’s hospital generators and pump clean water will run out in less than three weeks unless the Saudi-led coalition lifts its blockade. The dire forecast came as Yemen battles one of the world’s …
Read More »Eating variety of nuts linked to lower heart disease risk
Washington, United States | AFP | People who regularly snack on a variety of nuts may face a lower risk of heart disease than people who don’t, said the largest study of its kind, which was released this week. Eating five weekly servings of walnuts, peanuts or other kinds of tree …
Read More »Malaria breath test promising
Washington, US | MICHELLE ROBERTS | People with malaria give off a distinctive “breath-print” that could be used as a test for the disease, according to American scientists. They had already tried out a crude prototype breathalyser in Africa, a tropical medicine conference heard. The test was reasonably good at detecting …
Read More »How pharmaceuticals offer cheaper cancer drugs
But is there a catch? Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | Tackling cancer requires high investment in training and infrastructure says Meg O’Brien, the Managing Director Global Cancer Treatment at the American Cancer Society. She told The Independent on Oct.25 that her organisation has brokered a deal with two pharmaceutical companies …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Doctors continue strike as Rugunda fails to convince them
THIS WEEK: Doctors continue strike as Rugunda fails to convince them Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Doctors under their umbrella body – the Uganda Medical Association met at Mulago National referral hospital on Nov.06 to brainstorm on a way forward after government ignored their demands. The doctors had a month …
Read More »Tanzanian cholera outbreak kills 18: ministry
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | An outbreak of cholera in Tanzania has left 18 dead in two months, the health ministry said Saturday, warning the situation could worsen as the rainy season continues. The ministry said the outbreak had left “18 dead out of 570 cases recorded” between September 1 and …
Read More »Mexican 10-month toddler weighing 28 kilos baffles doctors
Tecomán, Mexico | AFP | Like any other 10-month-old, Luis Manuel Gonzales babbles and touches anything within reach. But he stands out in a stunning and perhaps life-threatening way: he weighs 28 kilos (62 pounds). He might need medical treatment costing a fortune, but his father earns a little over …
Read More »WHO wary of ‘major setback’ on cholera in Yemen amid blockade
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization warned Friday that a Saudi-led blockade of Yemen was threatening to undo efforts to rein in a cholera epidemic already affecting nearly one million people in the war-ravaged country. Yemen, where a multinational conflict has caused a daunting humanitarian crises, has …
Read More »Life expectancy up 10 years thanks to better lifestyles: OECD
Paris, France | AFP | Healthier lifestyles and higher incomes have helped increase life expectancy in the 35 OECD nations by 10 years in the past half century, according to a report published Friday. The OECD’s ‘Health at a Glance 2017’ report said the average life expectancy throughout the group …
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