The disparities here in South Africa are tragic, given the mineral and monetary wealth of the country. One guide told me that the illiteracy and innumeracy rate of children in South Africa was almost 75%. The WHO reports that life expectancy at birth is 43 years for men and 45 for women. Mortality of children under five is twice as high for those with uneducated mothers than for those with highly educated mothers.
And the UK's Nursing Times reports on a BMJ study that concludes that "osteoporosis bone density monitoring 'cannot be justified.'" (For more on this topic, see this recent AJN article on the marketing of osteoporosis, written by consumer advocate Maryann Napoli.)
Doctors, nurses and pharmacists would be protected from penalties for refusing to provide health care on religious or moral grounds, under a bill sent to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s desk . . .
Below are some excerpts from the many reader comments we've had in response to Diana Mason's farewell post as editor-in-chief of AJN (you can read them all when you click on the original post). We wanted to make sure they didn't get buried as the blog is updated. Diana is currently traveling in Africa and will be sending us posts in her new role as editor-in-chief emeritus. The lastest just came in from South Africa and will go up tomorrow.
Injection drug users say they often encounter discrimination in mainstreamcare settings; many delay seeking care until they’re extremely ill, at which point their care can be very costly, and that affects everyone. Indeed, any unsafe behavior (such as needle sharing) that raises the rate of bloodborne infection has significant consequences for individuals, communities, and overall public health. Many believe that improved community care that includes harm reduction measures can reduce rates of ED use, hospitalization, incarceration, and public drug use
