Suchergebnisse

Drug shortages are a growing problem in developed countries. To some extent they are the result of technical and organisational failures, but to view drug shortages simply as technical and economic phenomena is to miss the fact that they are also ethical and political issues. This observation is important because it highlights both the moral and political imperative to respond to drug shortages as vigorously as possible, and the need for those addressing shortages to do so in ethically and politically sophisticated ways. This brief article outlines the ethical issues that need to be considered by anyone attempting to understand or address drug shortages.

There is increasing global concern about the potential impact of pandemic infections, including influenza, SARS and bioterrorist attacks involving infectious diseases. Many countries have prepared plans for responding to a major pandemic. In Australia, the Federal and State pandemic plans include measures such as contact tracing, ensuring availability of antimicrobials, quarantine and social distancing. Many of these measures would involve severe restrictions on individual citizens and small businesses. Issues of compensation for cooperation and compliance with pandemic plans need to be addressed in policy discussion. The instrumental benefits of compensation in the event of a pandemic have not been sufficiently recognised. Greater attention paid now to mechanisms to compensate individual and business costs associated with compliance would increase trust in government pandemic plans, encourage compliance and reduce the health and economic impact of a pandemic.

There is increasing global concern about the potential impact of pandemic infections, including influenza, SARS and bioterrorist attacks involving infectious diseases. Many countries have prepared plans for responding to a major pandemic. In Australia, the Federal and State pandemic plans include measures such as contact tracing, ensuring availability of antimicrobials, quarantine and social distancing. Many of these measures would involve severe restrictions on individual citizens and small businesses. Issues of compensation for cooperation and compliance with pandemic plans need to be addressed in policy discussion. The instrumental benefits of compensation in the event of a pandemic have not been sufficiently recognised. Greater attention paid now to mechanisms to compensate individual and business costs associated with compliance would increase trust in government pandemic plans, encourage compliance and reduce the health and economic impact of a pandemic.

The process of globalization is commonly espoused as a means for promoting global health. Efforts to "go global" can, however, easily go awry as a result of lack of attention to local social, economic, and political contexts and/or as a result of commercial and political imperatives that allow local populations to be exploited. Critical analysis of the processes of globalization is necessary to better understand the local particularities of global projects and confront challenges more transparently. We illustrate the potential adverse impacts of globalization in the global health setting, through examination of international tuberculosis control, global mental health, and the establishment of transnational biobank networks.