ASRN: President Bush Ignores America's Plea For Support Of Stem Cell Research
SAUSALITO (ASRN.ORG) - "In the face of spiraling health care costs, President Bush once again used the stroke of his veto pen deliberately to hamper the progress of scientific and medical research, as well as endanger the future health and well being of the American people. His executive order directing NIH to continue pursuing alternate forms of research is nothing new, since NIH has already been conducting this research for the past 20 years. President Bush isn't fooling anyone with this executive order; and the fact that it doesn't change the policy adds insult to injury for the millions of patients who suffer every day."
"With this veto, President Bush has sent the message that it is more important to throw an embryo into a IVF clinic's garbage can, than it is to find cures and treatments for diseases and disorders like cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, and spinal cord injuries."
Malaysia Wants To Be Serious Player In $4 Billion Medical Tourism Market
KUALA LUMPUR (ASRN.ORG) - The government of Malaysia has quietly given Malaysia's private hospitals the green light to get at least one hospital accredited by the internationally-recognized Joint Commission International (JCI) by the end of next year, according to confidential government documents. Malaysia wants to be a serious player in the medical tourism market no later than 2009.
Malaysia's ambition is to compete with Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and India in a medical tourism market that is expected to grow to $4 billion dollars by 2012.
New Phase Of Largest-Ever Measles Vaccination Campaign Begins In Pakistan
WASHINGTON (ASRN.ORG) - The government of Pakistan is launching a new phase of the largest-ever national measles vaccination campaign, with a goal of reaching more than 63 million children by March 2008. This campaign will protect millions of children against measles in Pakistan, and will also be a significant step toward reaching the global goal of reducing measles deaths by 90 percent by the year 2010 (compared to 2000).
"Pakistan is a priority country in the global fight against measles. On behalf of the partners of the Measles Initiative, I commend the government of Pakistan for its leadership in this life-saving work. The partners in the Measles Initiative are proud to stand with the Government of Pakistan in fostering a healthier future for the children of Pakistan," said Kathy Bushkin Calvin, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the United Nations Foundation. "In Pakistan and around the world we will continue our work to eliminate measles deaths altogether."
Teens Turning From Street Drugs To Prescription Drugs
WASHINGTON (ASRN.ORG) - The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and state experts urged parents today to take action against the latest drug abuse trend among teens: abuse of prescription drugs to get high. State data reflects the alarming national trend. Teens are turning away from street drugs and using prescription drugs, especially pain killers, to get high. Painkillers like OxyContin and Vicodin are the most commonly abused prescription drugs.
At a press conference this morning, experts warned parents that teens are intentionally abusing prescription drugs to get high, wrongly believing that they are safer than street drugs. In addition, teens are getting prescription drugs for free and have easy access to them -- taking them from friends or relatives without their knowledge.
Healthcare Industry Starts Responding To Moore's Sicko
COLUMBUS (ASRN.ORG) - As the nation heads to movie theaters this weekend to see Sicko, Michael Moore's expose on U.S. healthcare, the company that operates an innovative healthcare program that has dramatically reduced cost by improving patient assistance says that government-run healthcare would increase, rather than solve, America's healthcare problems.
Randall E. Gebhardt, president of Quantum Health Inc., said that Michael Moore falsely implies that government-run healthcare works well in Canada and the U.K., and that an expansion in the government's already heavy-handed role in U.S. healthcare - Medicare already directly controls 40% of all healthcare dollars and indirectly controls another 50% - would result in more suffering, more deaths, and significantly higher costs over the next 20 years.
