Philosophy for Docs

I think that medical education should encompass more humanities modules, especially ones that cover subjects such as philosophy, which encourage critical thinking (more on this subject in KHI's medical education section, under strategic initiatives). Mohammad Hassan, a medical student from the University of Liverpool has written an article, which uses medical examples to explain logical fallacies. I thought it was a really good article so I reposted it below...

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Primary Health Care - Overcoming Inequities

Yesterday, the World Health Organization issued its annual World Health Report which, on the 30th anniversary of the Alma-Ata Declaration, once again renews its vows to the critical issue of primary health care. Indeed, after decades of sailing adrift and billions spent on seemingly promising vertical programs, the foundations of health systems have slowly but surely dismantled or witnessed varying degrees of neglect. Please read this very important document as it highlights a topic crucial to the wellbeing of our nation and region at a time when we are being devastated by chronic diseases.

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Health For All Revisited - Part 1

A right approach to health sector reform. In a disorganized and exceedingly bureaucratic health system, it is tempting for the ill-informed policymaker to engage in the "band-aid" approach to achieve quick fixes that appease both the public and legislators in times of crisis. We have discussed numerous examples of this in the past. Furthermore, providers, who have been reluctant to engage in significant attempts to reform the system, except when dealing with matters of remuneration, remain disconnected from the policy-making arena. Indeed, in an environment lacking exposure to even basic education in principles of public policy, management, and economics related to health, understanding the sector as a whole, beyond ones restricted clinical domain, remains a daunting endeavor. For this reason, we will expose a series of articles addressing key concepts in health sector reform using the framework adopted by experts representing institutions such as Harvard University, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Bank, among others.

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Losing Perspective

Kuwait and the neighboring GCC countries have unique social structures. Despite high growth rates, there seems to be an unrelenting need to import skilled manpower and foreign expertise. Expatriates constitute about 80% of the labor force and form an estimated 65% of the population. This tells you that the majority of expatriates are in the working age group, while Kuwaitis are distributed more evenly across the age spectrum.

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86 Restaurants in 16 km

The World Health Organization lists Kuwait as the 8th fattest country in the world with a 74.2% prevalence of overweight individuals, behind Nauru (94.5%), Federated States of Micronesia (91.1%), Cook Islands (90.9%), Tonga (90.8%), Niue (81.7%), Samoa (80.4%) and Palau (78.4%). This small group of Pacific Island countries has a genetic propensity for larger muscular physiques, and abdominal fatness has long been considered a symbol of wealth and prosperity for Pacific Islanders. Second to this cluster of small Pacific Islands is Kuwait. We are heavier than the Americans and report the highest rate of obesity of all Gulf Arab countries. We have the highest prevalence of hypertension and elevated cholesterol levels in all the Gulf region and we rank 5th for the global prevalence of diabetes behind Nauru, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Small-scale national studies report that only 2 - 5% of our population is physically active despite the fact that International Diabetes Federation tells us that up to 80% of type 2 diabetes is preventable by adopting a healthy diet and increasing physical activity.

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