Tag: shortage

The Healthcare that Michael Moore Loves

~ Pharmer

CastroCare In Crisis: Mounting Strains.

Some fun facts from Cuba…. the hospital patients supply their own syringes, bedsheets,  and towels in order to stave off nosocomial   infection.   Sterile equipment and disinfectants are in short supply in Cuba’s hospitals.

Cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of death among Cuban woman, and it is largely preventable, but Pap smears are no longer routine for fear of the unhygenic exam practices.

Maternal death, blamed on medical neglect post partum is also on the rise under Castrocare.

Least surprise of all,  doctor defections are rampant, with many returning from (training) abroad only to leave health care for jobs which will bring them convertible currency.    The Castro answer is to reduce placements in other countries.

Excess Flu Vaccine after the Shortage

~ Pharmer

We saw this after the last flu panic too……  loads of wasted flu vaccine after incidents of rationing and vaccine hoarding.

U.S. has 71 million unused flu vaccine doses | Reuters.

The same thing happened this year after the H1N1 panic.  Vaccine became widely available only after the flu had abated.

Interested in obtaining the vaccine waned when it became apparent that the panic was overblown, and as usual, the  CDC and other government advisory groups had  little knowledge about this strain of flu virus.

What’s left is the usual government waste:  almost 70 million  unused H1H1 flu vaccine doses.

Note that the above linked article pretends to have a figure of  U.S. deaths caused by H1N1 virus.   That number is actually unknown.

From the memory division of the Pharm,  here’s  a blast from the 2004/2005 flu season  when the fears of  shortage drove Illinois governor Blagojevich to order unapproved vaccines from Europe, which were eventually wasted..

Your tax dollars at work………