The News Review:
- South Africa: Ethekwini Aims to Reduce Infant, Maternal Deaths
- Health-care reform for grown-ups
- Kids And Health: Parents want to know if they can solve behavior…
South Africa: Ethekwini Aims to Reduce Infant, Maternal Deaths
AllAfrica.com – Apr 6, 2008
7 million children under five died across the world, mostly from preventable causes such as pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and neonatal causes. "A worrying phenomenon is the lack of appropriate information, awareness and education and that many of the child deaths occur not in the health facilities but in communities," said Ms Nkonyeni. The aim of this Women and Child Health Priorities Forum is to bridge the gap between the department and the community to help improve child survival rates. It is the result of a partnership between the provincial Department of Health, the eThekwini Municipality and the Department of Pediatrics at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine and various civil society organisations, including churches and non-governmental organisations. The department hopes that the creation of the forum will go a long way in creating awareness to women about the maternity services available for them, empowering the youth on issues of sexual abuse and reproductive health; and sharing information on nutrition for babies. Ms Nkonyeni said women, families and the community at large needs to be empowered, involved and made to participate actively in programmes aimed at improving maternal and neonatal health as well as reproductive health in general. Relevant LinksSouthern AfricaPregnancy and ChildbirthSouth AfricaWomen and Gender"We as the department we will do everything in our power for this forum to succeed, as we have decided to extend the formation of these forums to all our districts in the province," said Ms Nkonyeni.
Health-care reform for grown-ups
Rocky Mountain News – Apr 6, 2008
byline –> Sunday, April 6, 2008 State Sen. Bob Hagedorn’s approach to health-care reform is refreshing. The Aurora Democrat does not try to do too much. After the futile efforts of the state’s wildly ambitious Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Reform, the Aurora Democrat has swept into the debate like a sober clean-up crew, stubbornly refusing to push hyperexpensive reform in health-care delivery and instead focusing on patching the widest gaps in insurance coverage. If his Senate Bill 217, the “Centennial Care Choices” plan, becomes law, it might well lead to durable reforms that bring more people under the insurance umbrella at an affordable cost. SB 217 would not rely entirely on higher government subsidies to cover the uninsured, as proposals to establish a single-payer medical system, expand Medicaid eligibility or let adults qualify for the State Child Health Insurance Program would do… After the futile efforts of the state’s wildly ambitious Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Reform, the Aurora Democrat has swept into the debate like a sober clean-up crew, stubbornly refusing to push hyperexpensive reform in health-care delivery and instead focusing on patching the widest gaps in insurance coverage. If his Senate Bill 217, the “Centennial Care Choices” plan, becomes law, it might well lead to durable reforms that bring more people under the insurance umbrella at an affordable cost. SB 217 would not rely entirely on higher government subsidies to cover the uninsured, as proposals to establish a single-payer medical system, expand Medicaid eligibility or let adults qualify for the State Child Health Insurance Program would do. Instead, the bill would instruct state health-care policy officials to solicit from the insurance industry “value benefit plans” – low-cost, stripped-down medical policies targeted at Coloradans who earn too much to receive Medicaid but don’t buy insurance. Insurers would have until Aug. 1, 2009, to submit plans for state review that are actuarially sound. The intent is to bring about something approaching universal coverage using private insurance, even if none of these value plans offers a full array of benefits.
Kids And Health: Parents want to know if they can solve behavior…
Seattle Post Intelligencer – Apr 6, 2008
For some parents, it may seem easier to believe that problems result from diet rather than physiological, mental or emotional issues. In addition to raised hopes, there are reasons to be cautious about elimination diets. Taken to the extreme, your child could be missing out on key nutrients. Certainly, eliminating junk food and eating better is ideal. As you can imagine, this is a controversial topic for parents and health-care providers. These days the Internet is rife with those who swear by diet modification. But, again, a critical review shows there is little data to support this… Avoiding high-fat and fast foods, soda and excess juice and the like also is important. Robert Nohle is chief of pediatrics for Seattle-based Group Health Cooperative. His column runs the first Monday of every month. Have a question or comment for Dr. Nohle? Contact him at health@seattlepi.
