We must stop using taxpayers’ money to fund pollution
Global Health
Global health experiences – do they do more harm than good?
Summertime for many university students, reeling from aftermaths of their exams, may mean relaxing on the beach with friends. However, for many eager and forward-looking students, it is an opportunity to gain experience: international experience. Today, one can hardly walk through a university campus without noticing posters taped to lamp posts or bulletin boards with …
Medical tourism – coming to a place near you?
Sometimes I smugly think that I know a reasonable amount about health care in Canada and elsewhere. Well, it is always good to have one’s smug illusions shattered every once in a while. When in Europe recently, I was at a presentation by the Turkish government about their focus on “medical tourism” – attracting residents …
Global health: is Canada part of the problem?
Canada contributed 3.6 billion dollars in assistance to developing countries in 2005-2006. But we and other rich countries practice what has been called by some “foreign aid in reverse”: The recruitment of foreign health professionals from the developing world, a potential obstacle to the deployment of our initiatives in poorer countries. The WHO estimates that …
A historical perspective on health and health care
Living on an island where most of the locals are descendants of people who have lived here for generations has given me an interest in local history and genealogy. Many of my older patients’ parents and grandparents lived to a fine old age without the modern conveniences and medical care we take for granted today …