Health Warning: Plastic bottle feeds = A one way ticket to future health risks January 31, 2008

A new study has shown that the levels of pollutants (Bisphenol A) which is leaked from plastic bottles increases dramatically when they are heated, warmed or filled with hot liquids. Bisphenol A is linked to fertility problems, diabetes, breast cancer, Hyperactivity and early puberty in girls.

Plastics bottles free from Bisphenol A should be used.

So before you buy a feeding bottle for your baby, think of Bisphenol A free bottles.

Is justice happening? January 30, 2008

Some NGOs in Maldives are supposedly advocating for the disabled and the vulnerable. This might be a misconception and a disguise. They should be learning from organizations like Justice For All activists in safeguarding the disable and the vulnerable in our community. Recently i saw a comment in a FaceBook discussion forum (Child Abuse Watch Maldives) where Afiya, a founder member of the NGO Care Society, was defending her decision to circumcise a disabled boy. I want to ask her whether she would defend a decision to remove a womb of a girl considering a disability in a girl in the name of making life better for a disabled girl. More or so , without their consent.

A US court recently went against such intervention. Doctors recommended another alternative than mutilation. An unnecessary procedure has been stopped from  being performed.

A mother’s wish to have her disabled teenage daughter’s womb removed looks set to become the next landmark case in the courts to test the ethics of medical intervention where patients cannot decide for themselves.

Disability groups and academics have been united in urging caution in the case in which Alison Thorpe wants doctors to perform a hysterectomy on her daughter Katie,15, who has cerebral palsy and the mental capacity of an 18-month-old child.

Times Online report can be read from here. And you can read a mothers argument of why she wanted her disabled daughters womb to be removed.

I wonder if in Maldives such intervention is taking place in the name of making things better for disabled children. This blog vehemently opposes such intervention even from the very beginning starting from the case of little Ashley.

 

 

Why discard your organs after you die? January 27, 2008

The case i am about to bring to your attention is that of liver plant patient, whose blood type changed to that of the donors. Many are considering it as a world first.

 

During that first nine months, Demi was put on routine anti-rejection drugs after her liver transplant surgery.

Then doctors found that Demi’s body had begun to destroy its own blood cells and, at the same time, the donor’s blood stem cells took over her immune system.

Doctors then halted the anti-rejection drugs, realising her blood type - and immune system - had taken on the characteristics of her organ donor.

Quite amazing huh. You may read about more it here. A more scientific explanation for those medical minds out there can read about this story from here. And those who are probably wondering what blood groups are about, they can find about it from here. It is very important that you know your blood group just in case of an emergency.

 

On a different note. How many of us seriously think about donating our organs. I mean, if there is zero chance of us living, then why not make another human live?

There is a Maldivian blogger who is waiting for a donor.

Running a Hospital January 25, 2008

I learned many things from this blog. And others could learn from Paul Levy, CEO of a hospital as well. Runningahospital blog has been voted by its readers as the best medical blog. A must read for everyone involved in health sector. Below is a blog post from the blog which i thought will be interesting for people. Hit the subscribe button if you really care.

As a non-MD, I don’t often get to attend M&M (mortality and morbidity) conferences of our various departments. These are usually highly technical sessions where doctors discuss cases that have gone awry or otherwise have educational value for the residents and attendings.

I was invited to attend one today, though, where a special guest was present, the patient who arrived in the Emergency Department and went through an incredible medical process, leading very close to death. He and his mother were at the M&M to offer the capstone comments after the medical discussion. Back to that in a minute.

This was a very challenging case. A patient with many medical problems. A difficult diagnosis. A delay in the diagnosis that probably led to “coding” and a need to resuscitate the patient. For those of you who have not been through an M&M, you would be impressed by the candor of the discussion and the lack of blame and recrimination — so that lessons from the case can be clearly identified and applied in the future.

The diagnosis was delayed because of “diagnostic anchoring,” a topic discussed in Jerry Groopman’s recent book, How Doctors Think. If you put blinders on the diagnostic path based on early indicators or predispositions, you will miss things that are important. That happened here. Luckily, though, the ultimate diagnosis was obtained in this case because the doctor in charge refused to close off other avenues of inquiry when the facts did not seem to support the initial presumption.

The successful resolution for this patient required incredible amounts of teamwork among emergency department doctors, internists, radiologists, pulmonologists, anaesthesiologists, respiratory therapists, transporters, and nurses. Here is a summary of the people and resources applied to this case.

•> 100 lab tests
•10 Electrocardiograms
•Continuous telemetry monitoring
•3 Chest X-Rays
•1 Echocardiogram
•2 Line placement procedures
•Seen by 9 physicians, 4 nurses
•Administered 12 medications

Back to the patient, a devout Muslim, who finished the case discussion by saying that he had woken up the next morning after dreaming about the number 93. He looked out the window to see the bright sun and blue sky and realized he was dreaming about Chapter 93 of the Holy Qur’an. I quote an excerpt:

The Brightness

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

I swear by the early hours of the day,
And the night when it covers with darkness.
Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor has He become displeased,
And surely what comes after is better for you than that which has gone before.

Patience is running out January 24, 2008

It is all happening and it will intensify in the future.

Mullah Doctors who dont shake hands with women January 24, 2008

As more and more people are sent to Pakistan for their medical training, the number of mullah doctors are increasing day by day. I have to note here that there are a few who got their training from secular countries who have resorted to this kind of extremism. I have seen on many occasions a few doctors, who has long beards that resembles the like of jihadi terrorists, refusing to shake hands with women. Even when the sexiest looking woman presents her hand for a good shake, they refuse. Maybe they like male hands better.

I wonder how they deal with female patients? I wonder how they do the assessments needed to come to a diagnosis? I wonder about their professionalism? I wonder and doubt on their ability to diagnose female patients correctly? I wonder the logic behind them not shaking hands with women out of their practice (ie. if they do touch a woman for assessment purposes only)?

 

What has Maldives Medical Watch to say about this? January 21, 2008

Dr. Niyaf has questioned the integrity of the truth behind the stories being published in MMW. Dr. Niyaf says:

mmw, I have just checked out your site. There are a few issues of conflicting interest for me. I would urge you to ensure that what you write is not just rumors and personal attacks on individuals. It should be the truth, not just stories.

What can we do? January 19, 2008

Political parties are funded by public money and therefore they have a responsibility to educate and explain their policies in public forums on how to deal with these problems.

Hilmy has gutted out his feelings in his blog, on where our country is heading and where our country should be heading.

Care Society and its Transparency January 17, 2008

How they spend the money, how much is spent, to whom it is spent, no one knows.

It is a mystery. At least to me. And i assume to many more others as well, as there is no easy access to the financial statements and how the money is spent by the very only vocal NGO, the Care Society , established and working very hard for the vulnerable groups in Maldives. It is a common practice in the culture of Care Society to raise funds in the name of good causes. At least that is what they say. As they claim, a huge bulk of their spending is either donated money from members, international organisations or from fund raising events in which the public donates the money in the hope of it being used for the purpose of what it was collected for.

Care Society is currently working with 15 CBOs from 15 islands in implemeting “Care Society Tsunami Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Project.” This project will last till the end of the year 2007 and the project is worth around 25,000,000 Maldivian Rufiyaa.

Who knows that the money public donated was infact used for a good cause? Care Society, to build its trust need to make their financial status more transparent. Sometime back , my fellow blogger, Simon, also had asked me from where he can find such information. I told him to go ask them. There will be many more who ask the same question. And i know that there are many more people who want to help for good causes.

Only problem is that, there is a huge gap of trust between the public and such NGOs. I wonder how NGOs such as Care Society, involved in the Care “business” can perform to the utmost if this trust is lacking.

What does Care Society has to say about this? Wouldn’t Care Society be more effective in raising funds if they go more transparent?

Sécurité Sociale : France’s Model Health Care System January 15, 2008

We are at the “infancy ? ” of implementing all the changes needed for a health care system that should be universal. We should not be doing the same mistake the US did. When we are “contemplating” in introducing medical insurance, i think it will be worthwhile to have a look at how the French system works. Or is there anything that we could learn from the French? The part that mostly caught my eye was that of the “tort-averse legal system” which seemingly diminishes the practice liability. Something for the legal team to ponder as well i guess. And more so ever, good news for practitioners too.

The French system strongly discourages the kind of experience rating that occurs in the United States, making it more difficult for insurers to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions or to those who are not in good health. In fact, in France, the sicker you are, the more coverage, care and treatment you get.

A very interesting discussion about this at the Politics Forum.