t r u t h o u t | Medical Care at Last, at a Price

Baghdad - Prompt medical care is at last on offer in Iraq, for those who can find the dollars for it.
"Why would I want to go to government-run hospitals where there is no care, no functioning instruments, long lines, and in the end the same doctor who treats you there can treat you at a private hospital," says Mohammed Abbas, 35, an employee at Iraq's Ministry of Oil.
Abbas, speaking at the private Saint Raphael Hospital in the Karrada area of Baghdad, wanted treatment on time, and was prepared to pay for it. Like him, many are coughing up money for private treatment. When they have money, that is, in an economy with more than 50 percent unemployment.
For medical care, many scramble to find money somehow. "It is a catastrophe at the government-run hospitals," says Hayder Abud, 30, at the private hospital for a check-up. "When you finally get a doctor to see you there, they are so rushed and sleep deprived, you can't be sure you are getting proper treatment."
Most treatment at government hospitals is free. Getting an x-ray at a private hospital may cost 40 dollars. But at a private hospital the job can get done on time.
"Iraq's Ministry of Health is struggling," said Khaled, administrative manager at the Saint Raphael Hospital, requesting that his last name not be used. "We have had problems with the Ministry of Health because they are angry at us for treating so many more people nowadays."
The state medical system is on its knees. It was one of the best in the region before the U.N.-backed economic sanctions for more than 12 years, followed by the U.S.-led invasion and occupation.
Government hospitals are short of doctors. A small increase in pay over the last three years has lured some doctors back, but what they pay cannot match income in the private sector.
On average, a general practitioner in a government hospital earns about 300 dollars a month; a private hospital pays twice or three times that much. More and more doctors are shifting away from government hospitals.
"I and my family were unable to live on the pay I earned at a government hospital," says Dr. Kubayir Abbas, 34, an anesthetist. "So I decided to come over to the private sector instead, and now it is much better."
Dr. Shakir Mahmood Al-Robaei, another anesthetist, said "It's better for us to work here than in the public sector. We earn more money, it is safer, and we don't have to worry about having the right equipment and supplies. When I worked in the public sector, we were short of everything most of the time."
And so government hospitals continue to run short of doctors, while some private hospitals have a surplus. What has improved since 2007 is that violence against doctors, and even against patients who attend certain hospitals, has dropped notably.
Government hospitals also lack basic supplies such as gauze, rubber gloves, clean needles, surgical instruments and drugs for anesthesia. Non-medical basics such as clean bedding, disinfectants and air-conditioning are often lacking, even in the largest medical complex in the country, the Baghdad Medical City. Iraqis have for years had to buy their own medicines and even oxygen supplies on the expensive black market.
Corruption within the Ministry of Health, and the near total lack of reconstruction that was promised by the U.S. Coalition Provisional Authority in the first year of the occupation have left Iraq's healthcare system depleted of resources.
A report, "Rehabilitation Under Fire," released last year by the health organization Medcat said Iraq has only around 9,000 doctors, after most fled the country. That gives a ratio of six doctors for every 10,000 people. The ratio in Britain is 23 to 10,000.
Given the crisis in government medical care, the business of private hospitals is booming. Raphael hospital, which currently has 35 beds and sees on average over 1,000 patients a day, will soon expand to 90 beds and increase its staff.
Dr. Rhamis Mukhtar, the only surgeon for morbid obesity in Iraq, has been working at this private hospital since 2000, while also working at a state hospital. "I'm thinking of moving here full time," he said. "There are much better supplies, services, and overall care for the patient. This center is the best for laparoscopic surgery in the country."
For complicated emergency cases, government hospitals are still the best, Dr. Mukhtar said. They have special equipment most smaller private hospitals lack. It has to get very bad for someone before they can hope to get the best out of a government hospital.

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Medical Care - home

Journal Description - Rated as one of the top ten journals in healthcare administration, Medical Care is devoted to all aspects of the administration and delivery of healthcare. This scholarly journal publishes original, peer-reviewed papers documenting the most current developments in the rapidly changing field of healthcare. This timely journal reports on the findings of original investigations into issues related to the research, planning, organization, financing, provision, and evaluation of health services. In addition, numerous special supplementary issues that focus on specialized topics are produced with each volume. All subscribers to the Journal receive copies of supplemental issues along with their regular issue.NEW! Authorship Policy.NEW! Conflict of Interest PolicyVisit http://mdc.edmgr.com for further information. Important Message: Easily submit and review manuscripts online with LWW's Prompt/Editorial Manager. This automated, web-based tool simplifies the manuscript submission and review processes and enables users to electronically submit, review and track manuscripts and artwork online in a few easy steps. We invite contributors and reviewers to begin using the Prompt/Editorial Manager interface today at http://mdc.edmgr.com Important Message: Select articles now feature links to supplemental digital content directly from the article text and are indicated in the Table of Contents. Authors are encouraged to submit supplemental digital content that supports their article text. Please see the journal instructions for authors or go to http://links.lww.com/A142 to read LWW's requirements for submitting supplemental digital content.
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Sick babies, few choices: a historical geography of medical care and facilities for infants and children.

Imagine that a parent wakes up one morning and finds his/her child having a fever. The parent is likely to call a pediatrician for instructions about how to handle the situation. The pediatrician, in turn, might suggest watchful waiting, or bringing the child to the office or a clinic for an examination or tests. If there is sufficient concern, the pediatrician might instruct the parent to bring the child to the emergency room for hospital admission. Being able to make choices about how and where to treat sick children is a relatively recent phenomenon. Historically, infants and children had poor chances for survival and their access to any type of medical care was sorely limited. Physicians often refused to accept infants or children as patients, refused them access to hospitals, and generally considered them untreatable. We report here on the diffusion of access to medical care for infants and children in selected urban centers of both Europe and the northeastern United States, beginning with the initial concept of providing refuge for abandoned infants in the Middle Ages and ending at the turn of the 20th century. This paper provides a historical geography that should clarify how lucky today's parents are to have a range of options for medical care for their children. Refuge for Infants and Children The decline of feudalism and the rise of cities created massive social upheaval in Europe. Sanitation was abominable and disease ran rampant through densely populated areas that lacked sewers and access to clean water. Hunger and poverty were rampant. Trade routes expanded and they brought more than goods back to European ports they brought rats and disease. During the 14th century alone, the Black Death (bubonic plague) killed more than 25 million people (about 25 percent of the European population). The result was unparalleled social turmoil, with an enormous number of abandoned and orphaned infants and children left to fend for themselves. Their odds of survival were close to nil. One way of solving the problem of abandoned and orphaned infants and children was to create a place of refuge where they could receive basic food, clothing and shelter. The first recognized attempt to provide refuge for abandoned infants is credited to the Archbishop of Milan who, in the year 787, attached a cradle to a revolving exterior church door. An anonymous donor would place an infant into the cradle and ring a bell. The door then revolved, accepting the infant. The Church then took the responsibility of finding a wet nurse for the "little stranger" and offered a monastic life for any that survived. Over time, providing refuge for abandoned and orphaned infants and children in times of stress (such as during a war or after an epidemic) became acceptable. Many foundling homes and orphanages opened in Italy during the 14th and 15th centuries (see Figure 1 for an example from Italy), with more than 80 in operation across the European continent before 1700. As missionaries moved around the globe, they helped to diffuse the concept of refuge with them, creating facilities for abandoned and orphaned infants and children in Jerusalem in 1210, Arabia in 1283, Mexico City in 1524, Lima in 1563, Bogota in 1650, Pernambuco in 1650, and Beijing in 1662. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Urbanization and migration, as well as religious and cultural changes created economic, political and social turmoil in Europe. While explorers claimed new lands and opened new trade routes, children of the poor died of cold and hunger in the streets of European cities. The bodies of infants were recovered from the sewers and rivers of European cities in increasing numbers. The Hotel Dieu, the oldest hospital in France, began accepting abandoned children in 1523 so that they would not purposefully be maimed and sold as beggars. By 1547, infanticide was so rife in Paris that the Parliament decreed that nobles must care for foundlings left in their domains. Orphaned and abandoned infants and children and the children of the poor were not the only ones with poor chances for survival during this period. Even children of parents with means were unlikely to survive to adulthood. Diseases ran rampant through urbanized populations. A basic understanding of sanitation did not yet exist and there was no effective treatment for infectious agents. High death rates pushed the social system to its limits. A foundling hospital,...

Taking Care Of Baby’S Health- Tips And Tricks

When new baby is born, all things from a little one to the biggest are changed. All aspects in life are completely changed after the arrival of the baby. The responsibility of taking care of baby is on the head of the parents after the birth of the baby. There are several aspects on which parents have to pay attention. There is a long list of the things that baby wants from you other than just love that you often show towards the baby. The health of the baby is one of the most important aspects that parents can't ignore. Parents should be as serious as possible about the health of the baby. The baby's health includes many things such as medical care, dental care, skin care etc. In this article you will find the tips that will be helpful in the health care of your baby. You can use the tips in your practical life for better experience.
Be serious about the health of the baby. Don't ignore little things for the baby and always try to keep your baby safe. The skin care of the baby is important one. The skin of the baby is delicate and needs to be treated gently and appropriately. Use proper and trusted products for the baby. Know the type of the skin of the baby and use products according to the type. Use the products that are recommended by most of the doctors. Baby's cosmetic products should take good care of the skin of the baby. All baby clothes should be washed with a special detergent. Skin care includes good care of the head also. The shampoo for the head of the baby should b chosen carefully. Also, the body wash products should be chosen well. There are a lot of baby skin care products in the market; you can pick up the best one for you.
Food is another important thing in a baby's life. Little babies may be feed more than four times a day as they can hold a little amount of food and that amount is not enough for them to carry out whole day. You must be caring about the food of your little one. Give him food as per need and whenever required. One or two years old babies should be feed only milk, either from mom or from bottle. More than two years old children should be feed more that that of the little ones. They should be given food three or four times a day.
Baby is healthier if he sleeps appropriately. But, how to know about the right time of baby's sleep? It depends upon the age of the baby. Your baby should be sleeping nine to ten hours if he is less then of two years. But it is not written on the stone. Sleeping time varies baby per baby. If your baby is having difficulty with sleep, then you should seek medical help.
The three important aspect of the baby's health have been discussed in this article. Hope that you will use the tips in the development of your baby.

Taking Care Of Baby’S Health- Tips And Tricks

Taking Care Of Baby’S Health- Tips And Tricks


When new baby is born, all things from a little one to the biggest are changed. All aspects in life are completely changed after the arrival of the baby. The responsibility of taking care of baby is on the head of the parents after the birth of the baby. There are several aspects on which parents have to pay attention. There is a long list of the things that baby wants from you other than just love that you often show towards the baby. The health of the baby is one of the most important aspects that parents can't ignore. Parents should be as serious as possible about the health of the baby. The baby's health includes many things such as medical care, dental care, skin care etc. In this article you will find the tips that will be helpful in the health care of your baby. You can use the tips in your practical life for better experience.
Be serious about the health of the baby. Don't ignore little things for the baby and always try to keep your baby safe. The skin care of the baby is important one. The skin of the baby is delicate and needs to be treated gently and appropriately. Use proper and trusted products for the baby. Know the type of the skin of the baby and use products according to the type. Use the products that are recommended by most of the doctors. Baby's cosmetic products should take good care of the skin of the baby. All baby clothes should be washed with a special detergent. Skin care includes good care of the head also. The shampoo for the head of the baby should b chosen carefully. Also, the body wash products should be chosen well. There are a lot of baby skin care products in the market; you can pick up the best one for you.
Food is another important thing in a baby's life. Little babies may be feed more than four times a day as they can hold a little amount of food and that amount is not enough for them to carry out whole day. You must be caring about the food of your little one. Give him food as per need and whenever required. One or two years old babies should be feed only milk, either from mom or from bottle. More than two years old children should be feed more that that of the little ones. They should be given food three or four times a day.
Baby is healthier if he sleeps appropriately. But, how to know about the right time of baby's sleep? It depends upon the age of the baby. Your baby should be sleeping nine to ten hours if he is less then of two years. But it is not written on the stone. Sleeping time varies baby per baby. If your baby is having difficulty with sleep, then you should seek medical help.
The three important aspect of the baby's health have been discussed in this article. Hope that you will use the tips in the development of your baby

Getting Medical Care After Cancer Treatment

Getting Medical Care After Cancer Treatment




All cancer survivors should have follow-up care. Knowing what to expect after cancer treatment can help you and your family make plans, lifestyle changes and important decisions.
Some common questions you may have are:
Should I tell the doctor about symptoms that worry me?
Which doctors should I see after treatment?
How often should I see the doctor?
What tests do I need?
What can be done to relieve pain, fatigue or other problems after treatment?
How long will it take for me to recover from treatment and feel more like myself?
Dealing with these issues can be a challenge. Yet many say that getting involved in decisions about their future medical care and lifestyle was a good way for them to regain some of the control they felt they lost during cancer treatment. Research has shown that people who feel more in control feel and function better than those who do not. Being an active partner with your doctor and getting help from other members of your health care team is the first step. What Is Follow-up Care? Follow-up care means seeing a doctor for regular medical checkups. Your followup care depends on the type of cancer and type of treatment you had, along with your overall health. It is usually different for each person who has been treated for cancer.
In general, survivors usually return to the doctor every 3 to 4 months during the first 2 to 3 years after treatment, and once or twice a year after that. At these visits, your doctor will look for side effects from treatment and check if your cancer has returned (recurred) or spread (metastasized) to another part of your body.
At these visits, your doctor will:
Review your medical history
Give you a physical exam
Your doctor may run follow-up tests:
MRI or CT scans – These scans take detailed pictures of areas inside the body at different angles.
Endoscopy – This test uses a thin, lighted tube to examine the inside of the body.
Blood tests
Follow-up care can also include home care, occupational or vocational therapy, pain management, physical therapy, and support groups.
Back To Top Keep In Mind In this document, the term cancer survivor is used to include anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer, from the time of diagnosis through the rest of his or her life. You may not like the word, or you may feel that it does not apply to you, but the word survivor helps many people think about embracing their lives beyond their illness
Aetna Members: If you are a female member of an HMO-based plan and would like more information about breast cancer and breast cancer prevention, please call (888) 322 8742.Miembros de Aetna: Si tiene un plan HMO y desea más información sobre el cáncer de seno y la prevención del cáncer de seno, por favor llame al 1-888-322-8742.