Why does France seem to be so much better at protecting its population than the UK? Peter Toon reflects on his experience, and advises the Government to put some cheese as well as eggs in its basket.
What can a doctor offer to a patient who has lost three first degree relatives within three weeks? Sajitha Rahman reflects on the role of doctor as witness, in the midst of grief.
Do you feel confident in meeting the needs of Afghan asylum seekers and refugees? The issues are not new. Emily Clark and Rebecca Farrington give us some valuable guidance.
My country was trying to cultivate the tree of democracy and freedom when on the 1 February 2021 the military coup took us back to the dark days of military rule ...
John Frey updates us on the state of family medicine in the US as doctors have reacted to the Covid pandemic. A lot of it sounds familiar..........
BJGP Life has sought to keep us all informed about the medical and humanitarian crisis following on from the coup in Myanmar. Jim Brockbank tells us about a current initiative to get financial aid to Myanmar.
For so many of us this has been a hard, even a heartbreaking time. But let us also remember the people of India, and especially our colleagues in the UK who have family there and are seeking creative ways of helping them.
Dr Htar Htar Lin, the Director of Myanmar Immunisation Program who led Myanmar’s COVID Vaccination Campaign, has been found to be positive for COVID infection whilst in prison. This article highlights the ongoing concerns around the arbitrary arrests of our colleagues in
Healthcare in Myanmar is still in crisis. Jim Brockbank brings us an update.
Covid is like a stress test for national governance. Jihane Naous and Basem Saab update their previous report from Lebanon, where they're not doing so well.
During the wintry January and February months, I had the pleasure of spending three tropical weeks in the vibrant city of Lagos, Nigeria. My experiences were enjoyable and enlightening, however I increasingly became aware of the power of the NHS and the
Bahrain is a sparkling jewel of an island, much less bling than Dubai, much more laid back and tolerant than many places in this region. Bahrain is coping remarkably well with Covid. But the two big challenges are the 2,000 Bahrainis returning
Australia now has one of the flattest COVID-19 curves in the world, one of the lowest death rates. Maybe much of our success is based again on luck. The response of the government to the epidemic was initially a little lethargic, but
Naomi Adelson is a GP working in Birmingham. e probably make an unusual sight at the side of the river: four 20-something women, carrying mud-spattered rucksacks, scrambling over the wall and into the refugee camp. We edge our way along the narrow
Rana El-Jarrah is a third year medical postgraduate trainee in family medicine at the American University of Beirut. She volunteered in mobile clinics to refugee camps in Lebanon. She is interested in primary care refugee health and social medicine. Editor: Rana offers
Philippa Jeacocke is an ST3 GP trainee in Sheffield. She has just returned from a year out of training, during which she worked in a variety of settings exploring her interests in refugee heath and palliative care. Nandika has a huge, beaming
David Misselbrook was a South London GP for 30 years. He was involved with GP training, CPD development and medical ethics. He now teaches Family Medicine and ethics for RCSI Bahrain. Sometimes we find ourselves in South West France when the Tour
Patricia Schartau is a ST4 academic clinical fellow in Primary Care at King’s College London and in the Royal Free Hospital VTS Training Scheme, with a specialist interest in men’s health & eHealth. I was chosen by the Vasco Da Gama Movement
From its beginnings in Scotland, the Deep End movement of general practitioners serving deprived communities has spread to similar projects in Ireland, Yorkshire/Humber, Greater Manchester and Canberra, Australia. To share their local experiences, views, activities and plans, an international bulletin has been
Michael Bryant is a GP who splits his time between South Wales and West Africa, where he works in paediatrics and as a medical educator. A J Cronin’s classic novel The Citadel is often credited as being partially responsible for the founding
Richard Armitage splits his time between general practice in the East Midlands and humanitarian work across the world. He blogs at www.drricharmitage.com In August 2018 I took time away from my salaried position in the East Midlands to volunteer with the NGO Doctors
Philippa Jeacocke is a GP trainee in Sheffield currently taking a year Out of Programme Experience (OOPE) between ST2 and ST3 to further explore her interest in refugee health and palliative care. In August 2018 I spent a month working as a
The authors are current and former members of the RCGP Junior International Committee; Sonia Tsukagoshi (chair) Katrina Whalley (former National Exchange Coordinator, NEC) and Bernadeta Bridgwood (current NEC). Global health is an important area of primary care which is infiltrating general practice across the
I have just come back from the centre of the world. Not the centre of the earth of course. No, in ancient times the centre of the world was reckoned to be Delphi. This claim was evidence based. If we do not
Bahrain has sometimes been called a string of shopping malls calling itself a country. This is quite a blinkered view. Bahrain is in fact a string of shopping malls and restaurants calling itself a country. Does it matter if we don’t eat
Karan Ghatora is a GP with interests in pre-hospital and aerospace medicine. Rachna Patel is a GP interested in new experiences, constant learning and development. Namaste! We were GPs looking to provide medical support for a worthwhile cause, whilst furthering our personal
Summer in the Gulf gets quite warm. “Trailing spouses” (yes, that is the official visa term from the Ministry of Labour) tend to migrate north for the summer. Those of us working have to dash from one air conditioned environment to another.
Kirsty Wooff, having spent her foundation years in Glasgow, took an ‘FY3’ year to travel and volunteer in Malawi and Nepal. Travelling for eight months… A once in a lifetime opportunity. Eight months and nine countries. But what has it done for
Jane Gall and Derek Wooff, are both general practitioners who worked in Stranraer, Scotland for 26 years and have been working in Shepparton Medical Centre for the last 6 years. General practice is a good job. It uses knowledge, experience, judgement and
Perhaps you are thinking of giving of some money to charity rather than sending Christmas cards or maybe you want to give a different type of gift package. Or maybe you’d just like to support a worthy cause. UK registered charity Medic
The island Kingdom of Bahrain, sits like a hotter, sandier version of the Isle of Wight in the sparkling blue waters of the Arabian Gulf. It is joined to the Saudi mainland by a 25 kilometer causeway. There is a certain soap
Here at RCSI Bahrain our students wear blue scrubs to hospital attachments, but it’s a long time since I have been in scrubs. With some trepidation I had agreed to take four final year RCSI students to work for a fortnight in
Niamh Scally graduated from Norwich Medical School in 2013 and completed foundation training in Manchester. She is currently enjoying an F3 year before starting her paediatric training in London later this year. She has an interest in health inequalities and care of
Nikesh Parekh is a GP trainee, a research fellow in ageing and part-time public health medical associate in London. Colin Tourle is a semi-retired GP in Hailsham. There are 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, of which the vast majority are hidden away in
Professor John Frey III is now retired from the University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine and Community Health but is still an active teacher, research collaborator, journal editor and ‘faculty whisperer’ about career transitions at all stages of professional life (a
We were in Athens with a couple of hours to kill. Acropolised out, too early for Ouzo. We had seen Socrates’ jail cell (almost certainly apocryphal). We had seen the remains of Aristotle’s Lyceum, lovingly excavated. We had felt the weight of
Mary McCarthy is a GP in Shrewsbury., She is on the GPC and is interested in comparative health systems. She is the BMA rep to UEMO. he UEMO (Union Européenne des Médecins Omnipraticiens) represents GPs in 26 European member states. It develops policy