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March 29, 2012
One of the most revered hospitals in South Africa has just revealed plans to build a child disease clinic in the city of Cape Town. Red Cross Children’s Hospital is known for its brilliant work with children that are suffering or have suffered through horrendous injuries and diseases.
The Red Cross is aggressively tackling TB and diarrhoea as these are often fatal in children. By building a R30 million clinic that will provide specialist treatment for seriously ill children, the clinic will house the current Paediatric Infectious Disease Unit and a research unit. Another important department within the groundbreaking clinic is the training of specialists that will focus on childhood diseases. Healthcare logistics are at the forefront as Red Cross want to provide a top clinic to treat children with serious diseases.
Dettol SA has made a phenomenal donation of R1 million, and during the handover of the substantial amount Louise Driver, the Chief Executive Officer for the Red Cross Children’s Hospital Trust , advised that the unit is sorely needed because there is no infectious diseases unit specifically geared for children. The Red Cross Children’s Hospital is committed to treating infectious diseases and eradicating these conditions that can easily be avoided with good hygiene.
The hospital has confirmed that construction on the clinic will begin in August and should take about 20 months to complete. Give the immense donation from Dettol SA and the unbelievable dedication of the staff at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital there is no doubt that everything from vaccine storage facilities to high-tech machinery will be put to the best possible use in saving the lives of the little ones who desperately need it.
October 20, 2011
Eucomed, the European Medical Technology Industry Association, has launched a new 5 year strategy plan to reform healthcare in the European Union. Through constant innovation, the industry body has declared the goals of providing cost effective healthcare, through various reforms to ensure that all professions from surgeons to clinical assistant jobs are made sustainable and cost effective to the patient for years to come. The Economist Intelligence Unit, released its report “Future Proofing Western Europe’s Healthcare”, which Eucomed endorses, at Med Tech this last week.
The report on medical technology stipulates the urgent need for healthcare systems to be efficient, effective and informed in order to stay at the top of its game of being able to support the growing needs of an aging and growing population. The industry association has pledged its support to helping the productivity of medical technology and assuring that these developments are well supported. The focus needs to be on medical technology focused on sustainable growth that can consistently perform under increasing costs and reduced budgets, a trend see in the industry lately. Through support from Eucomed, it will be focus on industry leaders and clinical manager jobs to ensure that value based innovation are the outcome from the years of research. All of this is going to rely on collaboration between all medical technology stakeholders in the industry.
Eucomed has noted the concerns of the European healthcare industry and has stated that technology, although having one of the smallest expenditures, has the best chance of creating sustainable changes in the industry. For the full story on the reforming strategy proposal by the European Medical Technology Association, click here to view their new website.
September 8, 2011
High visibility clothing has been in the United Kingdom since the 60s, but previously the garments were only been worn by hazardous areas, law enforcement and protection workers. Now this “fashion” has become a part of mainstream society. Health and safety practices have penetrated all areas of society and high visibility jackets are common sights on children walking in groups to school and cyclists in dawn and dusk conditions. The technology was developed by an American who created a fluorescent mixture that he painted onto his wife’s wedding dress and discovered its light reflective properties.
While Visibility clothing may never be seen on the catwalks of Milan, there are some industrious students and entrepreneurs in the USA who have created t-shirts with high visibility designs that are both fashionable and practical. It is functional clothing type and for industries requiring their workers to always be visible, even in extreme conditions, it is a necessity. Many clothing retailers in the United Kingdom include Hi Vis clothing, such as Dickies workwear range, and reports in the last 10 years show the increase in purchases for these garments.
The United Kingdom is not the only country to incorporate Visibility clothing into their culture, as most of Europe has already embraced the clothing wholeheartedly. In many of these countries, almost all motorists will keep high visibility jackets in their vehicles in case of breakdowns by law decree and cyclists can be fined for not wearing reflective clothing during certain hours. High visibility clothing for children can save lives near traffic and governments and local councils are pushing for its extended use in numerous applications. Visibility clothing is not a fashion statement, but more a practical application of technology used to save lives in the workplace and on our roads.
September 7, 2011
Medical authorities in Cuba have approved the first lung cancer vaccine for sales across the country. Distribution will occur in the next week from the Center of Molecular Immunology in the capital via numerous chilled vans delivering to all major hospitals in the country. Smoking in Cuba is a huge part of cultural identity and thus the incidents of lung cancer in the country are high, increasing the need for a vaccine to be developed in the South American country.
The vaccine is not a preventative solution yet for lung cancer, but hopefully can be developed to that point in years to come. Currently it is administered to patients at later stages of the cancer and when there has been little response to other treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Based on a protein that is rampant when cancer is uncontrolled in a system, the vaccine is said to greatly improve the conditions of the patients it has been administered to. 25 years of research has gone into the development of the drug and researchers are hoping to apply the same principles used in the new lung cancer vaccine to combat other types of cancer.
The drug has been tested with over 1000 patients with great success and from the vaccine storage units it will be distributed to all provinces of Cuba at no charge to patients. This lung cancer vaccine is a great step forward in the treatment of the disease which kills up to 5 million people a year worldwide, according to reports from the World Health Organization.
May 4, 2011
If all else is lost at least you have your health, or so goes the famous saying. However a new study conducted in Spain revealed that your health may be more at risk in morning hours than any other time of the day. This proves that no one is really a morning person. The study suggests that a heart attack that occurs during the morning may be more serious than a heart attack that occurs later in the day.
Heart attack patients who suffered the terrible ordeal between 6am and noon and a 20% increased chance of suffer damage to the vital organ. The worse the damage is to the muscle tissue the worse the prognosis will be and also an increased chance of death. The health centre in the serviced offices in Madrid suggests that hospitals should be well staffed in the mornings to be able to cope with the increase risk of heart attacks in the morning. A larger staff body at health services will help ensure the patient’s coronary artery is opened as soon as possible, which will lead to a better prognosis for the patient.
The link between health and heart attack intensity in the mornings suggests that the body’s internal clock is at play. Every human body has its own internal clock which allows cells to tell what time of day it is to anticipate what will happen next. If the mechanism goes awry, the cells in the body will lose track of time and will not know what time of day it is. This will make the body more susceptible to stresses at certain times of the day as suffer from health diseases such as an heart attack.
Data from 811 attack patients were analyzed and researched in the serviced offices of the National Centre for Cardiovascular Research. The researchers examined the levels of certain enzymes released by the body during a heart attack to determine the extent of the tissue damage. The patients who suffered a attack during the morning hours had 21% higher levels of enzymes in their bodies compared to patients who had health problems during other hours of the day. In result you should look after your health and fitness in the morning hours and be wary of problems with your heart.
With the way the world is evolving and the numerous diseases presenting themselves in all forms; it stands to reason that half the world’s doctors and pathologists are tirelessly around the clock to find cures for diseases. Many of us take vaccines and medicines for granted, it’s best that we understand these forms of cure. How do vaccines work?