Doctors' lifestyles vital for SA's health - global expert.

WHO FCTC as a Pioneering and Learning Instrument; Comment on “The Legal Strength of International Health Instruments - What It Brings to Global Health Governance?”

The World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is a unique global health instrument, since it is in the health field the only instrument that is international law. After the 10 years of its existence an Independent Expert Group assessed the impact of the FCTC using all available data and visiting a number of countries interviewing different stakeholders. It i...

Long-awaited autonomy in sight for SA's doctors.

Relevance and Effectiveness of the WHO Global Code Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel – Ethical and Systems Perspectives

The relevance and effectiveness of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel is being reviewed in 2015. The Code, which is a set of ethical norms and principles adopted by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 2010, urges members states to train and retain the health personnel they need, thereby limiting demand for internat...

Have Non-physician Clinicians Come to Stay?; Comment on “Non-physician Clinicians in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Evolving Role of Physicians”

A decade ago, sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 24% of the global disease burden but was served by only 4% of the global health workforce. The chronic shortage of medical doctors has led other health professionals especially nurses to perform the role of healthcare providers. These health workers have been variously named clinical officers, health officers, physician assistants, nurse practition...

Perceived Training Needs of Maritime Doctors and General Practitioners

Introduction: Medical practitioners provide pre-employment examinations and periodic health examinations to seafarers, fishermen, offshore employees, and maritime students to ensure that they are fit for work. So far, very little is known about doctors’ perceptions of their professional training needs and expectations. The objective of this study was to gain insight on (a</...