International Health & Humanitarian Assistance

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Comment by CC-Conrad Clyburn-MedForeSight on January 7, 2009 at 7:13pm

Here id the original message on the Doctors Strike in Lagos

A message from Clymer.."CC"..Conrad Clyburn to all members of International Health & Humanitarian Assistance on MedTechIQ!

Colleagues,

As forwarded by MedTechIQ Member, Dr Jay Sanders and reported in Punch, Nigeria's most widely read newspaper...

Medical doctors working in Lagos State Government-owned public health facilitie have announced a state-wide strike beginning Monday, January 5, 2009.

Addressing the press on Thursday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, the Chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa, said the strike would be indefinite.

He said more of the patients brought daily for care were dying at the state government-owned hospitals because the gigantic buildings lacked basic life-saving facilities.

Justifying their demand for a pay rise and parity, he said the state Ministry of Health purchased computers for its e-health practice with a huge sum of money that would have been better utilised.

Read on at: http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20090102156295

Comment by CC-Conrad Clyburn-MedForeSight on January 7, 2009 at 4:46pm

A message from Parvati Dev to all members of International Health & Humanitarian Assistance on MedTechIQ!

CC:

Personally, it is difficult for me to find a way to engage at the systemic level. I am part of an AIDS game project in Kenya and, while I love it, it is playing (!!) at the fringe of the problem, not attacking its core. I wrote a proposal to the Gates Foundation (their Challenge program) that addressed IT and systemic issues. It did not fall within their guidelines which focus on biomedicine to reduce infection.

So, yes, some suggestions on how t move forward would be good.

Best.
Parvati

Comment by Randy Roberson on January 7, 2009 at 4:19pm

Dr Sampson,
I have been working the past year on telemedicine efforts in the Philippines. Included in this effort was a quarter million in medical equipment and supplies including ambu bags, 02 tanks/supplies as well as numerous ER and OR Supplies. The needs in the rural clinics for these types of supplies is profound. In 2009 I am focused on expanding similar efforts in the Congo and Kenya. I have worked before in Mozambique and have provided consulting services to members of the South African Parliament. I am very interested in your idea of an All African Conference in improving advanced life saving medical care within Africa.

Comment by John B. Sampson, M.D. on January 7, 2009 at 3:25pm

A message was recently posted to the group regarding a physician strike in Lagos state. This is very significant because it means that the 17 million are now without medical care for an indefinite amount of time.

While the articles focus on wages, the frustration extends to lack of basic equipment such as ambubags and other life-saving equipment.

Yet, when efforts are made to improve the ability to save lives in Africa with basic education and life-saving equipment politicians and Westerners alike use the need for water improvement and vaccinations as an excuse not to engage in other needed improvements.

Is anyone in this group willing to participate in dialogue regarding the importance and potential impact of supporting an All African Conference in improving advanced life saving medical care within Africa??????????????????????????????

Comment by CC-Conrad Clyburn-MedForeSight on December 16, 2008 at 12:15pm

A message from Clymer.."CC"..Conrad Clyburn to all members of International Health & Humanitarian Assistance on MedTechIQ!

Colleagues,

I thought I'd pass on this note, left on my Member profile comment wall. It was authored by MedTechIQ member Charlene Riikonen, President/CEO of Cera Products, Inc., manufacturer of CeraLyte and CeraSport, rice-based oral rehydration therapy products (see www.ceraproductsinc.com)...

...Great, info. Thank you. Regarding Oral rehydration therapy (ORT), which is a low cost solution to averting dehydration and hospitalization, we are supporting efforts to avert dehydration in our troops abroad, in the USA, and for those suffering from cholera now in Zimbabwe. Earlier this year, we worked with Direct Relief International to assist in Myanmar and last month provided an ORT training course in China, with co-directors Dr. Julius Goepp and Dr. Mei Sun (Shengjing Hospital) along with Dr.Tim Shi of GlobalMD, and China Medical University. Dr. Shi is seeking support to set up an ORT Center of Excellence. He can be reached at tim@globalmd.org.

If your interested in learning more about ORT, please contact Charlene directly at, http://medtechiq.ning.com/profile/CharleneRiikonen.

ENJOY!

CC