Month: December 2012

Basic hygiene at risk in debt-stricken Greek hospitals

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Doctors examine patients at a medical centre of the Greek delegation of the Doctors of the World in AthensLONDON (Reuters) – Greek hospitals are in such dire straits that staff are failing to keep up basic disease controls such as using gloves and gowns, threatening a rise in multidrug-resistant infections, according to Europe's top health official. Greece already has one of the worst problems in Europe with hospital-acquired infections, and disease experts fear this is being made worse by an economic crisis that has cut health care staffing levels and hurt standards of care. …

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Obama firm on tax rates amid Republican infighting

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U.S. President Obama meets with members of the National Governors Association Executive Committee in WashingtonWASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama dangled the possibility on Tuesday of lowering tax rates in 2013 with a broad U.S. tax code revamp, but he stood firm on insisting rates for the wealthiest must rise as part of a deal to avert the "fiscal cliff," a series of budget cuts and tax increases that will begin taking effect on December 31 unless Congress acts. Congressional Republicans, looking at yet another poll showing most Americans would blame them for going off the cliff, showed more signs of internal stress over how far to go in compromising with Obama's demands on tax rates. …

Obama says Republican "fiscal cliff" plan out of balance

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U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the National Defense University in WashingtonWASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama rejected a Republican proposal to resolve a looming fiscal crisis on Tuesday as "still out of balance" and insisted any deal must include a rise in income tax rates on the wealthiest Americans. Obama told Bloomberg Television that the Republicans' reliance on eliminating tax deductions instead of letting taxes rise on Americans making more than $250,000 a year would not raise enough money to fund the government. …

Most internists don’t plan to stay in primary care

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Less than a quarter of new doctors finishing an internal medicine training program planned to become a primary care physician instead of a specialist, in a new study. That suggests fewer generalists will be entering the workforce, researchers said – possibly exacerbating the primary care doctor shortage in parts of the United States. “I think this was a much needed, long overdue paper, and really kind of eye-opening,” said economist and health policy researcher Amitabh Chandra from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. …

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Fewer poor cancer patients referred for drug trials

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Among people with advanced cancer, poorer patients are less likely to be referred for clinical trials of experimental drugs, a new study from the UK suggests. Because those early trials will eventually help regulators decide if drugs should be approved for a wider population, it’s important that test patients be representative of people the medications are designed to treat, researchers said. …

Green Bay Packers great Starr collapses during speech

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Green Bay Packers legend Bart Starr speaks as he accepts the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at a ceremony in DallasMILWAUKEE (Reuters) – Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr collapsed on Tuesday after giving a motivational talk at an economic development conference in Wisconsin. The 78-year-old football legend fell to the floor after his 45-minute keynote speech at the Monona Terrace conference center in downtown Madison. "After a few minutes, he was feeling better and speaking well," said Kevin Fischer, spokesperson for the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, the host of the conference. …

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My Story: To Stare or Not to Stare?

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Why do people look away when coming face-to-face with a bald person with no eyebrows and no eyelashes? Why do people turn their heads? Do they look away because of embarrassment? Is it because of fear? Or is it because common knowledge dictates that a young person’s baldness is a sure sign for a serious illness, like cancer? 

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