- © 2007 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
Donating days: Roughly 60 physicians and health practitioners were up to the challenge last year. Will more meet the test this April 7th? That's certainly the hope of organizers of the Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief's second annual World Health Day Challenge, which asks physicians across the country to donate all or part of their day's income to support CPAR health and development projects in rural Africa (www.cpar.ca).
Microbicide trials scuttled: A pair of full-scale clinical trials of a topical microbicide to prevent HIV infection have been halted after an independent scientific committee found that women using the chemical cellulose sulfate were at increased risk of HIV infection compared with those using a placebo. The higher incidence was discovered in a trial conducted by a Virginia-based health research organization involving 1333 participants in Benin, South Africa and Uganda. Given the adverse findings, the precise details of which are to be released this spring, a second trial of cellulose sulfate involving 1700 participants in Nigeria was also halted.
Influenza vaccines: Clinical trials of prototype pandemic influenza vaccines suggest that they can stimulate a protective immune response against strains of H5N1 virus, says the WHO Initiative for Vaccine Research and the WHO Global Influenza Programme. However, the world's manufacturing capacity remains woefully inadequate to handle potential vaccine demand. Current capacity is now less than 400 million doses annually of trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine.
Physician amnesty: In a bid to alleviate a physician shortage, South Africa's licensing body has issued a temporary blanket amnesty for doctors who return to the country between Feb. 1 and Apr. 30 after a stint of practice abroad. An estimated 1500 physicians who left for Canada, and thousands who moved to the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand, were subject to heavy financial penalties if they sought to re-register for practice in South Africa. During the amnesty, they'll be exempt from penalty. Dr. Isra Levy, a graduate of Witwatersrand University and former chief medical officer at the CMA, says the amnesty “speaks to 2 things: the desperate need to provide health care there, and a willingness to be creative at the policy level.” — Pat Sullivan, Ottawa
Debt woes: The average debt of postgraduate medical trainees now stands at $158 728, according to a Canadian Association of Internes and Residents survey of 5538 residents at 13 medical schools. The survey also indicated that debt load significantly affects choices of residency discipline and practice location, as the respondents indicated the financial burden was likely to cause them to reject both a family medicine residency and positions in rural Canada. "It is very clear that people's financial situation will have an impact on career choice, and a negative impact on areas such as family and rural medicine," said CAIR president Dr. Devesh Varma.
Hasty retreats: Moving to separate themselves from predecessor Ralph Klein's controversial plans for reforming Alberta's health care system to allow more involvement by the private sector, newly-minted Premier Ed Stelmach and Health Minister Dave Hancock have indicated they're abandoning the much-ballyhooed “Third Way,” which would have allowed far more private delivery of health services within the province. Hancock told reporters that “Sustainability has got to be the focus.” — Compiled by Wayne Kondro, CMAJ