Health – Page 9 – Slugger O'Toole

Lessons from Portugal on the implimentation of a fair and effective drugs law…

Mick Fealty on September 3, 2009, 6:37 pm

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Mark Thompson, of Mark Reckons, is everywhere these days. The Reading-based Lib Dem blogger has a piece on Canabis NI blog, looking at the effects of liberalisation of the drugs law in Portugal… …drug use in Portugal has not risen in the last 8 years. In fact it has fallen, by around 10%. This might seem counter-intuitive but proponents of reform of drug laws have been saying for years that rise and fall in the use of drugs is largely …

Onward to the Kennedy Health Bill?

Mick Fealty on August 28, 2009, 8:22 pm

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In passing, it looks like Danny was right… Lobbying for the Kennedy Bill begins… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Lance’s Dublin group cycle ride

Pete Baker on August 25, 2009, 2:58 pm

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In Dublin today? As I may have mentioned.. 7 time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is organising an impromptu group cycle ride Good morning Dublin. Who wants to ride this afternoon? I do. 5:30 pm @ the roundabout of Fountain Rd and Chesterfield Ave. See you there.. And as he also says Need a bike for our 5:30 ride? www.phoenixparkbikehire.com Update Heh. I’ve decided it’s too nice and sunny (perfect) to ride. I think I’ll just sit around. Kidding!! …

On the complexity of making clinical decisions…

Mick Fealty on August 24, 2009, 1:18 pm

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Stephen Nolan has featured the Gareth Anderson situation again this morning for most of the show. As he notes, the Health Minister is now on his own as far as the other parties are concerned. The DUP wants a review. The SDLP, Sinn Fein and now this morning, the Alliance Party have all called for a similar review. He’s also just responded to Liam Clarke’s article in yesterday’s Sunday Times and has confessed he doesn’t have an organ donor card: …

“I do not intervene, I am merely a politician.”

Pete Baker on August 21, 2009, 1:29 am

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Northern Ireland Health Minister Michael McGimpsey is resisting media and political pressure on him to interfere with a clinical decision made in line with existing NHS guidelines. Needless to say, the self-styled “biggest show in the country” was involved again. I didn’t hear the whole discussion this morning [mp3 file], but I thought I’d remind the presenter concerned of his comments after a previous attempt to interfere with a clinical decision, in 2006, as transcribed at the time “Decisions are …

Then some idiot goes and spoils all the fun…

Mick Fealty on August 19, 2009, 4:58 pm

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Before anyone gets up in arms about the Obama swastika theme got up by Rush Limbuagh, they should remember the pillorying many on the left gave President Bush. From the Swift Boat Vets’ shredding of the US military honors system US political debate seems always to find a way p*** all over its honourable institutions… But the Mobfather may have pause for thought for his ‘public vision’ of the American eagle resolving itself into the Nazi’s chief political symbol… Underneath …

“If you get a resistant strain that becomes dominant in the autumn..”

Pete Baker on August 17, 2009, 6:57 pm

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Speaking of forms of press populism.. The Guardian has an interesting report on the UK government’s response to the H1N1 swine flu pandemic. Below the fold I sketch out an apparent divergence in strategy here – and it’s worth noting Mack’s thoughts on swine flu there. Meanwhile, according to the Guardian’s report The government rejected advice from its expert advisers on swine flu, who said there was no need for the widespread use of Tamiflu and suggested that the public …

“Maverick” McGimpsey unites DUP and Sinn Féin

Pete Baker on July 7, 2009, 11:15 pm

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The results of the delayed June budget monitoring round were announced today in a special sitting of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The new NI Finance Minister, the DUP’s Sammy Wilson, has a statement here and more details here. Apparently there was over £210million to redistribute, or is that £235million? Not that you’ll find the £210million figure, from the departmental statement, in the NI Finance Minister’s actual statement to the Assembly [pdf file] which notes that “some departments have breached the …

H1N1 virus at global pandemic phase 6

Pete Baker on June 12, 2009, 12:08 am

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As the BBC reports, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has upgraded the swine flu (H1N1) virus alert status to global flu pandemic phase 6 – full statement here. But, as the WHO official figures show, the fatality rate remains low. BBC medical corrrespondent Fergus Walsh gives his thoughts. People will want to know when they are likely to be exposed to H1N1. That’s impossible to say with any accuracy, but the summer months may suppress the virus somewhat in Britain, …

“it’s very difficult to quantify the human health impact at this stage”

Pete Baker on May 14, 2009, 1:40 am

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With the BBC reporting a “probable case of swine flu” in Northern Ireland – although I’d wait for the results of those tests [Adds the results are in] – via the [law] Professor, here’s some sort of good news.. The team also used epidemiological data and information about the virus’ genetic diversity to determine that the swine flu virus has a basic reproductive rate of 1.2-1.6, a number that shows how easily the virus spreads within a population. The seasonal …

“The situation continues to evolve rapidly.”

Pete Baker on April 30, 2009, 1:42 am

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According to the BBC report, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised the global pandemic alert to 5 [of 6], noting human-to-human transmission in at least two countries, after officials in Spain confirmed the first case of swine flu in a person who has not travelled to Mexico – WHO swine influenza website currently says level 4.. Now shows level 5. What is still not clear is how severe cases beyond Mexico will be – as noted previously, so far …

A heath cut you may not have heard of, yet…

Mick Fealty on April 29, 2009, 3:43 pm

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Looks like a modest, but on the face of it genuine scoop from our blogger of the year, Nevin Taggart… The Minister plans to regularise payments of ‘rewards to people with Learning Difficulties, by withdrawing them all over a three year period… Hmmm, cute. Eh? Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK …

“Northern Ireland has robust plans in place for dealing with situations such as this..”

Pete Baker on April 28, 2009, 2:31 am

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The World Health Organisation has upgraded the pandemic alert level from 3 to 4 [of 6] over the human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) [WHO FAQs (pdf file)] that has hit Mexico hardest – apparently it’s some kind of human/avian/swine flu hybrid. There have been 2 confirmed cases in Scotland and 5 cases of suspected infection reported in Ireland, one of which has already tested negative. The only deaths, so far, have been recorded in Mexico, to date 149, …

“Do you have the power to bring in minimum pricing?”

Pete Baker on March 17, 2009, 6:01 pm

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At the end of Brian’s post on proposals for a minimum price per unit of alcohol he asks “Where does the Assembly stand?” The UK government is, officially, lukewarm on the idea but Northern Ireland’s Health Minister, the UUP’s Michael McGimpsey, was enthusiastic on Stormont Live yesterday. He thinks he’s spotted a potential pot o’ gold. But such a stealth tax would, apparently, also depend on stealth legislation through the UK Parliament rather than the NI Assembly. Wouldn’t that income …

“one of the worst examples of bad procurement practice that this Committee has ever seen”

Pete Baker on March 3, 2009, 3:38 am

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The case of solicitor George Brangam defrauding the Department of Health prompts Máirtín to reach towards a conspiracy theory that isn’t exactly supported by the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Public Account Committee’s report Weaknesses in supervisory controls 17. The Committee has the clear impression that controls were weaker in some health bodies than in others. In the Committee’s view, Brangam targeted the health bodies he defrauded precisely because he knew that they operated in a lax control environment, and he made …

Exclusive: Tyrone Hospital to close…

Mick Fealty on January 22, 2009, 6:04 pm

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At least that is what we think the Western Trust means when it says it has now: …reached the position where it will no longer be able to care for acutely ill medical patients in the Tyrone County Hospital, Omagh beyond the beginning of March 2009. Acutely ill patients from the Omagh community will be cared for in the Erne and Altnagelvin hospitals. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet …

Euthanasia debate tonight in Belfast…

Mick Fealty on January 5, 2009, 4:06 pm

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Will Crawley is chairing an open debate on euthanasia at 7.00 pm at All Souls Church, Elmwood Avenue. He’s already kick started a decent debate over at his Will and Testament blog… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

About that recall of Irish pork you announced..

Pete Baker on December 15, 2008, 5:00 am

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According to a RTÉ report Northern Ireland Ministers are to seek access for Northern Irish companies to the Republic of Ireland’s €180m contingency fund “to cover costs arising from the recall of pig meat following the dioxin contamination”, announced last week. From the RTÉ report Northern Ireland’s agri-food sector is to seek compensation for costs incurred during the contaminated pork crisis. Two Stormont ministers, Arlene Foster and Michelle Gildernew, hope to hold discussions with their counterparts in the Republic this …

“We did not want to overreact, but, equally, we did not want to under-react..”

Pete Baker on December 11, 2008, 7:59 pm

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In the Belfast Telegraph David Gordon charts the timeline of the weekend breakdown of communication north, south, east and west over the Irish pork dioxin alert. To recap, the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture were told of potential problems on Friday, the Minister of Agriculture on Saturday and the Minister for Health on Sunday.. when he checked his messages.. and the all-clear [for Northern Irish pork] arrived on Monday. Meanwhile Sinn Féin’s Pat Doherty looks to blame the Belfast offices …

“but we were not expecting the results until Monday..”

Pete Baker on December 9, 2008, 1:30 am

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The reported statements in the Assembly today from the Northern Ireland Health Minister, the UUP’s Michael McGimpsey, and the Agriculture Minister, Sinn Féin’s Michelle Gildernew, on the Irish pork dioxins alert are not much more than holding statements and the advice from the UKs Food Standards Agency remains essentially the same. But given that the first official comment in Northern Ireland came yesterday, Sunday 7th Dec, 24 hours after the alert notice was issued by the Republic of Ireland’s Food …