This week there have been several breaking advances on the medical front:
Missouri midwife Elaine Diamond has been charged in the death of a newborn. She allegedly allowed a woman to labor for three days before taking her to a local hospital, and the baby died as a result of these complications. I actually plan to write about this in more length, because this is becoming a hot topic in Missouri. There is a great debate about this as a healthcare option, and how to regulate and enforce training and certification requirements. Any comments on this article will be food for thought in the upcoming article, so please share what's on your mind.
Stem cells have recently successfully grown pancreatic beta cells (which produce insulin), the leading cause of Type I diabetes. If this is successful, it will allow diabetics a chance to make a full recovery from the disease and eliminate insulin therapy altogether. It would replace several diabetes management procedures and complications, including liver and pancreas transplants, eye surgeries, insulin pumps, kidney failure and dialysis, and all tissue and organ rejection issues. Immature sperm cells were able to grow into pancreatic tissue, and replace the cells that the body attacks in Type I diabetes.
In a time when the United States is struggling to keep Medicaid alive, South Africa's health minister has reduced the cost of HIV drugs by 53 percent, which will allow resources to treat twice as many people in the next two years. The success is chalked up to "encouraging potential suppliers to participate in the bidding process, requesting a breakdown of costs from suppliers and monitoring price changes." This will bring massive relief to the most concentrated infection of AIDS in the world.
Last but not least, some states are making drastic Medicaid cuts in preparation for the federal stimulus ending. This link takes you to an article that bemoans the many shortages of the system. I have a small problem with this, however. I realize that it's hard to prioritize life, but with some states millions or billions in the red, it's time to make some hard choices. Those who find it atrocious that teeth are being pulled in lieu of root canals have a point but it's a small one.
What are your thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
The stem cell article is pretty damn exciting, frankly.
As far as midwifery, well that's not a subject I'm familiar with. I understand the issue of "Well I can't afford a hospital birth" or that you may not prefer one, but as a result there should most likely be some sort of minimum requirements to be a midwife.
Post a Comment