The News Review:
- Safeguarding child health
- Woman sets herself ablaze
- eKantipur.com – Nepal’s No.1 News Portal
- Restore Parks Rd Health Centre
- Children experience bullying even
- When no hope is left in sight
- Today’s Research: Tomorrow’s Health: Experimental Biology…
Safeguarding child health
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription… – Apr 5, 2008
We do know, based on police and media reports, that several children lose their lives every year as the result of the phenomenon that has come to be known as religion-based medical neglect. A study published in the journal Pediatrics uncovered more than 150 reported fatalities over a 10-year period – a tally that one of the study’s authors later said represented only “the tip of the iceberg” of a surprisingly pervasive problem. Assessing whether forms of religion-related child abuse pose a greater risk to children than more widely publicized threats, such as ritual satanic abuse, a wide-ranging study funded by the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect concluded that “there are more children actually being abused in the name of God than in the name of Satan. ”
Such instances of abuse often result in the filing of criminal charges, especially if there has been widespread media coverage of the circumstances of the child’s death. The parents charged in these cases – many of them members of small Christian churches that ground their doctrines in narrowly literal interpretations of the Bible – often argue that the First Amendment safeguards their decision to adhere to their faiths’ religious traditions and treat their ailing children solely by spiritual means. They should not be “persecuted,” they claim, for holding so steadfastly to their religious beliefs. (This complaint already has been voiced by an online minister who counseled Madeline’s parents in the days preceding her death… Arguing that they were “Christians first, citizens afterward,” a prominent Christian spiritual healer once urged his followers to disregard secular laws that might compel them to forsake their religious beliefs regarding healing. Such is the dilemma that confronts parents who choose to treat their sick or injured children with prayer instead of medicine. Not only must they safeguard the health of their sons and daughters; they also must try to reconcile their devotion to God with their duties as citizens. Defining these obligations through the enforcement of secular laws can be a messy affair. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that it will deter devout and stubborn parents, such as the mother and father of Madeline, from engaging in religious practices that endanger the health of their children. But the alternative – simply ignoring the suffering of the youngest and most vulnerable members of our nation’s churches – seems unconscionable. Shawn Francis Peters’ latest book, “When Prayer Fails: Faith Healing, Children, and the Law,” was published in October by Oxford University Press.
Woman sets herself ablaze
Times of India – Apr 5, 2008
She was
constantly worried about her child’s health, who had developed complication soon
after birth. Jayaben, a resident of Upleta, was
in the city to seek medical treatment for her daughter. She tried to immolate
self, fearing for her child’s health who is in an incubator at a private nursing
home near SP stadium in
Navrangpura. According to VS Hospital
officials, Jayaben is in a critical condition. “She will be kept under constant
observation for the next 48 hours,” said a medical
official… It was her first child at the age of
35. Previously, she had a
miscarriage and after that the medical officials had warned her against normal
delivery. When she could not
bear the pain, she delivered the child after seven months of pregnancy. As the
girl did not keep well, she was kept in an incubator and for some time, was also
on ventilator. Doctors removed
ventilator on Friday morning, citing good health. But Jayaben thought it would
prove detrimental to her child’s health and tried to commit suicide,” said
Jayshree Zala, her sister-in-law, who was staying with Jayaben in
Ahmedabad. Ellisbridge police
recorded Jayaben’s statement in which she mentioned that she committed suicide
as she was worried about her child.
eKantipur.com – Nepal’s No.1 News Portal
Kantipur Online – Apr 5, 2008
Despite infrastructural and drug-related problems, it was promising to see charts and graphs on the office walls. The facilities are displaying services available and patients’ rights. A community meeting to announce the facility was held. But it is not only the charts that show how the facilities are working to better the health of their communities, because the communities themselves are also helping to do so through community involvement, support from Village Development Committees and community leaders, and the commitment of local health workers… Because of the Maternal Incentives Scheme, the number of institutional deliveries increased from 0 to 14 in two months. There has also been improvement in care-seeking for diarrheal diseases, and community health workers are able to provide drugs to treat acute respiratory infections. The Family Planning Association of Nepal has a good facility in the vicinity, and the Community Hospital in Dhulikhel has begun offering maternal-child health services. The medical superintendent of Chautara District Hospital noted that the hospital has reduced infant, child, and maternal deaths over the past six years but has not been able to reduce neonatal mortality. Neonatal mortality remains very high in Nepal, meaning that 54 percent of deaths of children under age five occur in the first 28 days of life. The doctor at Chautara has good ideas for improving demand for and access to good-quality care, such as a policy permitting districts to procure medicines directly from prequalified suppliers at prices negotiated by the government; having districts compete for doctors; and incentives for staff, such as schooling for their children. The hospital uses a cross-subsidy system, meaning that although everyone pays 100 rupees for registration, other fees are paid only by those who can afford them, so that the poor receive free care.
Restore Parks Rd Health Centre
Jamaica Gleaner – Apr 5, 2008
I have one major concern, however. We are being asked to make use of the primary health-care facilities to cut down on time and cost. The Parks Road Health Centre in West Rural St Andrew, which served me as a child and countless others before me, has been closed for full service for more than a decade. The nearest health centre is Stony Hill and the closest hospital is in the city. left to rotI would love to know the real reason why this facility is closed and babies, mothers and the sick and infirm must travel all the way to Stony Hill or Kingston for treatment. The building is there, left to rot. From what I heard, a watchman is still employed to watch a building fall into disrepair.
Children experience bullying even
Nigerian Tribune – Apr 5, 2008
Meanwhile, having such problems early in life increases a person’s future risk of depression and anxiety disorders and efforts designed to fight bullying should not only address the bullies, but should also offer support to their victims, the experts said. Even though bullied children are known to be more likely to have anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide, as well as to experience social isolation, the question of whether bullying itself is the cause of these mental health problems remains open. They reasoned that just as bullying and mental health problems stem from the same risk factors such as living in a poor neighbourhood or parental neglect, a child with mental health problems is also more likely to draw bullies’ attention. Bullied children fit specific character patterns. Hyperactive and overly bright, sensitive children may face bullying not only from peers but from teachers and school administrators as well, as they are seen as a drain on school resources and are challenging for teachers to manage. They become the class "scapegoat"… Meanwhile, having such problems early in life increases a person’s future risk of depression and anxiety disorders and efforts designed to fight bullying should not only address the bullies, but should also offer support to their victims, the experts said. Even though bullied children are known to be more likely to have anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide, as well as to experience social isolation, the question of whether bullying itself is the cause of these mental health problems remains open. They reasoned that just as bullying and mental health problems stem from the same risk factors such as living in a poor neighbourhood or parental neglect, a child with mental health problems is also more likely to draw bullies’ attention. Bullied children fit specific character patterns. Hyperactive and overly bright, sensitive children may face bullying not only from peers but from teachers and school administrators as well, as they are seen as a drain on school resources and are challenging for teachers to manage. They become the class "scapegoat".
When no hope is left in sight
Jerusalem Post – Apr 5, 2008
Similarly, raising the legal drinking age may reduce the rate of youth suicide, especially in the 18 to 20 group. When teens who attempt suicide are brought to Schneider, the hospital has to use funds from donors to treat them, as mental health services are not yet supplied by the health funds. But as Schneider is owned by Clalit Health Services, there is no subsidy. Various health ministers, including the current Ya’acov Ben-Yizri, have promised that “very soon,” mental health care will be provided as part of the basket of health services, but responsibility has not yet been transferred. “I believe there is a very good chance, however, that the ministry will take youth suicide seriously. It has promised funding for a unit aimed at preventing it. As this is the first time something has been promised, we hope it will happen,” Apter said.
Today’s Research: Tomorrow’s Health: Experimental Biology…
Medical News Today – Apr 5, 2008
Three dimensional motion capture systems have revolutionized video gaming and animated movie creation, and an AAA symposium demonstrates the technology¹s promise for individuals with walking abnormalities. A symposium on anatomical illustration–the earliest method of in vivo imaging–is followed by an exhibit on anatomical art. Other sessions involve treatment of smell disorders and the role of mitochondria in estrogen-induced neuroprotection against Alzheimer’s. The American Association of Immunologists sessions open with a presidential address by Dr. Olja Finn on how immunologic weapons acquired early in life win battles with cancer late in life. Finn also chairs a symposium on taking care of immunology around the world, with speakers from the leading immunology societies in Canada, China, Great Britain, Holland and Serbia.
