Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Complaints about doctors' professional conduct reach record levels | Society | The Guardian

Complaints about doctors' professional conduct reach record levels | Society | The Guardian: "
Publication of the findings came just a day after a British Social Attitudes survey showed public satisfaction with the NHS had slumped for the first time, last year, from 70% to 58% – although the slide was thought to relate to concern about reforms to the health service rather than individual doctors' performance.

Most of the complaints last year – 5,665 – came from members of the public. The rest were made by other doctors, other healthcare staff, and other people in authority such as police officers, coroners and medical directors.

Only a fraction of complaints eventually result in some form of disciplinary action. "We are probably doing something with around 1,200 doctors," said Dickson. "Of those, around 700 will get advice. The remaining 500 get a range of sanctions."

The most serious action – where a doctor is struck off the medical register and is no longer able to practise – was taken against 65 doctors last year, compared with 73 in 2010. Since the number of hearings went down, this was a rise in the proportion of cases investigated that resulted in doctors being struck off."

'via Blog this'

Drapetomania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Drapetomania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Cartwright described the disorder – which, he said, was "unknown to our medical authorities, although its diagnostic symptom, the absconding from service, is well known to our planters and overseers"[4] – in a paper delivered before the Medical Association of Louisiana[2]:291 that was widely reprinted.

He stated that the malady was a consequence of masters who "made themselves too familiar with [slaves], treating them as equals".[5]

If any one or more of them, at any time, are inclined to raise their heads to a level with their master or overseer, humanity and their own good requires that they should be punished until they fall into that submissive state which was intended for them to occupy. They have only to be kept in that state, and treated like children to prevent and cure them from running away." [6]
In Diseases and Peculiarities of the Negro Race, Cartwright writes that the Bible calls for a slave to be submissive to his master, and by doing so, the slave will have no desire to run away.[4]"

'via Blog this'

Monday, September 17, 2012

Senate Committees – Parliament of Australia

Senate Committees – Parliament of Australia: "PIR pointed to doctors' fears that patients might `lose confidence in the health care system and the advice of health care professionals' if patients were more aware of the `unknowns and risks' which might be revealed in medical and health records. "

'via Blog this'

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Witnesses back Hicks on chemical torture, drug experiments

Witnesses back Hicks on chemical torture: "Other investigations show that Guantanamo Bay detainees, including David Hicks, were forced to take high dosages of the controversial anti-malaria drug mefloquine despite showing no signs of the disease, an unprecedented practice that has been likened to ''pharmacologic waterboarding'' by a US military doctor.

Questions have been raised about whether the mass administration of the drug to detainees was a secret, illegal experiment after a medical journal article last month by an army doctor, Major Remington Nevin, highlighted the ''inappropriate use'' of the drug, asking if its use had been motivated by its psychotic side effects. The US Centre for Disease Control has issued a warning against the use of mefloquine on anyone suffering psychiatric disturbances or having a history of depression. Dr Nevin has also warned that high doses of the drug can cause brain injuries.

Evidence including previously secret reports and witnesses including a Guantanamo guard, and New York lawyer, Josh Dratel, support Mr Hicks's claims that he was drugged."

'via Blog this'