Deal in sight as EU patient mobility vote nears.
A ‘yes’ vote in the European Parliament’s public health committee today (27 October) could pave the way for Europeans to get medical treatment anywhere in the Union.
The worst sticking points regarding the draft directive on cross-border health care appear to have been resolved by the Committee [...]

A clinic in Riga offers surgical implants to help people with alcohol dependence problems
The Latvian capital Riga is rapidly becoming a popular destination for medical tourism.
Flights are relatively cheap, as is the cost of living, which makes treatment more affordable.
One clinic in Riga is offering a mini-break for people with alcohol dependence problems, aimed at [...]

One in eight NHS trusts has been told it must urgently improve the care it provides, by a new regulator publishing ratings on England’s 392 trusts.
The assessments by the Care Quality Commission show a drop in the number of hospitals meeting basic standards in areas such as hygiene and safety.
But it also said more services [...]

Cross-Border Healthcare in Europe: A Gateway to Fraud and Corruption?
EHFCN announces its Annual Conference which is to take place in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 6-7 October 2007.
The conference theme will be “Cross-Border Healthcare in Europe: A Gateway to Fraud and Corruption?”
More information here.

New report shows corrupt business costs billions, hurts commerce, development and consumers.
The massive scale of global corruption resulting from bribery, price-fixing cartels and undue influence on public policy is costing billions and obstructing the path towards sustainable economic growth, according to a new report released by the anti-corruption organisation Transparency International (TI).
The “Global Corruption Report [...]

A Finnish airline is offering boob jobs for air miles.
Frequent flyers are now able to get a bust to rival Katie Price or Pamela Anderson – but only if they clock up 3,180,000 air miles – equating to taking 404 Finnair flights between Helsinki and Hong Kong.
Finland’s most famous plastic surgeon, Rolf Nordstrom, is bizarrely [...]

• Cost of care for a person with dementia during course of illness could be £200,000
• 51% of those questioned estimated cost of care in old age to be £10,000 or less
Britain is facing a healthcare “timebomb” as people live longer and the elderly population expands rapidly, the health secretary warned today.
Those who may survive [...]

Double suicide of high profile Britans reignites assisted suicide debate.
On Friday, Britons Lady Joan and Sir Edward Downes, a prominent orchestral conductor, committed suicide with barbituates provided by the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland where there is no legal restriction on this choice of terminating your own life.
According to British newspapers, Joan, 74, was suffering from [...]