EU-DIGEST

A glance at heroin laws around Europe

Countries with prescription heroin treatment for addicts:

_ Switzerland's heroin prescription program has been running since 1994. Nearly 1,300 addicts are injecting the drug under tight supervision this year in one of 23 centers, which also provide psychiatric and social counseling. In the Netherlands, heroin prescription has been a regular treatment since 2006. Nearly 600 patients inject the drug under supervision in one of 15 treatment units.In Britain, heroin has been prescribed by licensed doctors since the 1920s, but the country has been running limited trials with injection clinics in recent years. Last February Denmark temporarily approved a two-year trial of heroin prescription. Trials with heroin treatment also have been carried out in Belgium, Germany and Spain.

Labels: Drugs, EU, Medical

Iraq, EU to increase aid for health care of Iraqi refugees in Syria

The European Union (EU) here Monday signed an agreement with Syria on increasing financial aid worth 9 million euros (13 million U.S. dollars) to modernize health care utilities for Iraqi refugees in Syria. "The said amount will be used to supply 50 health care centers and a number of hospitals with necessary modern medical equipment in the regions mostly affected by the flow of Iraqi refugees," the European commission in Syria said in a statement. "The EU has decided to extend this additional aid through the program of modernizing health sector in Syria with a value of 30 million euros (44 million dollars), which comes as a result of the pressure created by the existence of a big number of Iraqi refugees in Syria who need health services," added the statement. The EU will also support Syrian health care centers to boost the quality of their services through increasing medical and administrative capabilities to meet the increasing public health demands of the Syrian and Iraqi people.

Labels: EU, Iraq, Medical, Syria

Iraqi Medical System Wrecked by War - by Lori Hinnant

Already a troubled system, Iraqi medical care has fallen to the brink of collapse since the U.S.-led invasion five years ago. Scores of doctors have been slain, cancer patients have to hunt down their own drugs — even IV fluid is in short supply. On Tuesday, a former deputy health minister and the head of the ministry's security force will stand trial, a year after they were accused of letting Shiite death squads use ambulances and government hospitals to carry out kidnappings and killings.According to figures from the Iraqi Health Ministry released earlier this year, 618 medical employees, including 132 doctors, as well as medics and other health care workers, have been killed nationwide since 2003, among the professionals from many fields caught up in Iraq's sectarian violence.

Labels: Iraq, Medical

Labels: EU, Medical

Boston Scientific device wins approval in Europe

Boston Scientific Corp., the second-biggest maker of heart devices, received marketing approval in Europe for its implantable Livian, used to monitor heartbeats and deliver electrical jolts to improve pumping ability. The Livian device, not available for sale in the United States, is under review by the Food and Drug Administration, Natick-based Boston Scientific said. The device is used to treat patients with heart failure. The approval is the first for Boston Scientific of one of its cardiac rhythm devices for heart failure

Labels: EU, Medical

US Medical Services: Putting Count Dracula in Charge of the Bloodbank? Microsoft Wants Your Medical Records

Microsoft, the $51 billion computer-software giant, is not satisfied with simply being the major systems provider for most computers in America -- it also wants to hold your personal medical records, and everyone else's in the country. The Redmond, Wash.-based firm started by Bill Gates sees this as good business, and even plans to offer advertising along with computerized searches of your records. "Our goal is to become an advertising powerhouse," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer tells Advertising Age. "Today, we're the No. 3 seller of Internet ads. We're determined to allocate the talent, the resources, the money, and the innovation to be the pre-eminent software provider for advertisers, publishers, and agencies. We have all the pieces we need to succeed."

Microsoft says today’s health care record keeping in the US is messy and not ready for the digital world. The company plans to do something about it.

Labels: Medical, Microsoft, US

European cancer burden set to rise, warn researchers

Despite better prevention and treatments, the European cancer burden is set to increase in the coming years as a result of the ageing population, scientists have warned. However, public health measures, particularly in the field of tobacco control, could help to reduce the incidence of certain cancers. According to figures from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) published in the Annals of Oncology, there were an estimated 3.2 million new cases of cancer in 2006 (up from 2.9 million in 2004) and 1.7 million deaths in Europe as a whole. Of those, 2.3 million cases and 1.2 million deaths were in the EU25. Lung, colorectal, breast and stomach cancers were the top four killers, with lung cancer accounting for almost a fifth of all cancer deaths.

'Lung cancer retains its status as the leading cause of cancer death in Europe in 2006,' commented Professor Peter Boyle, Director of the IARC and one of the authors of the paper. 'The overwhelming majority of lung cancer is caused by tobacco smoking, and tobacco control is clearly a number one priority in Europe, not only aimed at men, particularly the male populations of Central and eastern Europe, but increasingly targeted towards women, especially in Northern Europe.'

At the end of January the European Commission launched a public debate on the best way to promote smoke-free environments. A recent Eurobarometer survey found that a large majority of Europeans are in favour of smoking bans in public places.

Labels: Medical