Medicine and Health
Putting profits before health: Siemens abandons cancer therapy project
By Elisabeth Steinert, February 2, 2012
The Siemens group has decided not to commission its particle therapy cancer treatment facility in Kiel.
Totally drug-resistant tuberculosis reported in Mumbai
By Debra Watson, January 27, 2012
Doctors in Mumbai, India’s largest city, reported in December that they had confirmed four cases of Totally Drug Resistant Tuberculosis.
UK: Breast implant failures threaten health of thousands
By Eileen Rose, January 25, 2012
The ongoing scandal over PIP (Poly Implant Prostheses) breast implants makes clear the human cost of the privatisation of health care in the UK, and the callous indifference of the political elite towards its consequences.
Profit drive leads to shortage of critical drugs, deaths in US
By Nicholas Russo, January 11, 2012
Since 2010, at least 15 deaths have been linked to the shortage of critical drugs in the US.
Widening health inequalities match UK poverty patterns
By Joe Mount, July 16, 2011
Detailed health profiles for each English local authority highlight large health inequalities and the underlying poverty in Britain’s major towns and cities.
New “super bug” threatens Australian hospitals
By John Mackay, May 19, 2011
Despite warnings by health professionals, no national surveillance system has been introduced for the potentially fatal Clostridium difficile bacteria.
Reports highlight threats to women’s health in poorest countries
By Barry Mason, May 11, 2011
Two recent reports highlight the lack of health care provision affecting women in semi-colonial countries.
Johnson & Johnson recalls more over-the-counter medicines
By Ed Hightower, June 30, 2010
For the past several months, a recall crisis has been developing at the Johnson & Johnson company over serious quality control problems in over-the-counter medicines, including children’s versions.
Canada: Chaotic response to swine flu pandemic highlights government indifference
By Carl Bronski, November 9, 2009
Federal and provincial health officials are backtracking on earlier commitments to help both high-risk groups and members of the general population seeking vaccination.
Media sensationalism, corporate power and the swine flu outbreak
By Alex Lantier, May 4, 2009
The handling of the swine flu outbreak underscores the difficulty, in the present political environment, of separating medical science from corporate interests and the political agendas of governments that are beholden to them.
Rates of hospital-acquired infection rising in Canada
By John MacKay, December 29, 2008
A study, based on a survey of Canadian hospitals, has found that hospital-acquired infection rates continue to rise and that for want of funding, infection-control programs continue to fall well short of expert recommendations.
A letter on Canada, South Africa and deadly asbestos
November 1, 2008
The following letter was sent to the World Socialist Web Site in response to the article, “Canadian Government defends export of asbestos to poorer nations.”
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