Gloria R. Lalumia's World Media Watch for December 21, 2007

WORLD MEDIA WATCH

Summaries are excerpted from the source articles; the featured article follows the summary section.

1//The Independent, UK
A COMMON MARKET FOR HEALTH

Europe stands on the brink of a historic decision to open its borders to medical tourism, casting a dramatic spotlight on the performance of the UK's health system against that of neighbouring countries. Cancer treatment, heart surgery and hip replacements could be available, in certain circumstances, to UK citizens in any of the EU's 27 countries. Under the plans, they would have the right to seek treatment anywhere which offered quicker access to care than was available on the NHS, with the NHS picking up the bill. Citizens of other EU countries would have a corresponding right to come to the UK for treatment. Patients would have to be referred by a doctor and demonstrate they faced an "undue" delay for treatment in their own country. Labour MPs yesterday warned the Brussels proposals would worsen inequalities, increase bureaucracy and undermine the financial stability of the NHS. Patients who go abroad would have to pay for their treatment and claim reimbursement, favouring the "well-off and well-informed". The British Medical Association said there would be difficulties in providing follow-up care and UK doctors could be left to "pick up the pieces". But assuming the proposals are eventually approved, the expansion of choice will keenly focus attention on the performance of the NHS against other health systems as patients across the EU try to work out the best countries to seek care. ...

The EU said the delay to yesterday's announcement was for "agenda reasons", to allow other business to be dealt with. But reports suggested the draft directive had been held back for further work after it provoked widespread criticism. It requires approval by EU ministers and could become law by 2010.

AN EXPANDED EXCERPT OF THIS FEATURED ARTICLE FOLLOWS THE SUMMARIES

2//The News International, Pakistan
CHAVEZ, ALLIES TAKE SWIPE AT US

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and two Latin American allies accused the United States on Tuesday of conspiring to undermine the region's leftist governments. The charge followed a diplomatic firestorm set off by claims from a US prosecutor that Venezuela attempted to smuggle $800,000 in a suitcase to the election campaign of Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Chavez, Fernandez and Bolivian President Evo Morales rebuked the United States in separate public comments at a meeting of the South American trade bloc Mercosur in Uruguay's capital Montevideo. Chavez accused Washington of meddling in Bolivian politics and seeking to destabilise the Morales' leftist government, which faces calls for autonomy by several opposition-controlled provinces amid a dispute over constitutional reforms. ... Washington has repeatedly denied allegations it seeks to influence politics in Bolivia. Morales has also made similar charges, prompting President George W Bush's administration to publicly tell Bolivia last month to "knock it off." On Tuesday, Morales reiterated accusations that the US ambassador in La Paz was involved in a conspiracy to damage his government. "It would be good if the US would advise its ambassador to practice diplomacy, not politics," he said. Argentina's Fernandez, who took office on Dec 10, did not name the United States directly but suggested it was looking to influence the region through "dirty operations and dirty politics."

3//Gulfnews.com, United Arab Emirates
MOST SAUDIS WANT MORE DEMOCRACY, SAYS STUDY

Most Saudis back the government in its campaign against Al Qaida, but say they want more democracy in the country, according to poll findings released this week. The study conducted by US group Terror Free Tomorrow showed 15 per cent of respondents had a favourable view of Saudi-born Al Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden and 88 per cent approve of the government's efforts to pursue militants inside the kingdom. Washington-based Terror Free Tomorrow said it carried out its research by telephone this month with around 1,000 Saudis. Opinion polls on political issues are rare in Saudi Arabia. The study showed 52 per cent of respondents had an unfavourable opinion of the United States, although 40 per cent had a favourable opinion and 69 per cent wanted better relations. "Considering the most populous Muslim countries of the world, Saudi Arabia is among the most favourable to the United States," said the report, published on the internet (www.terrorfreetomorrow.org). ... While 95 per cent of respondents said they had an approving view of King Abdullah, who came to power in 2005 promising reforms, 80 per cent said free elections and a free press should be a government priority.

4/The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea-
KOREANS REACT TO LEE MYUBNG-BAK'S ELECTION

Five major employers organizations on Wednesday expressed hope that president-elect Lee Myung-bak will revive the economy and create a business-friendly environment. Lee Seung-chul, vice president of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), said, "Voters in effect gave him their overwhelming support despite various lingering suspicions and negative factors emerging during campaign because they expect him to revive the economy. We hope that he will turn his campaign promise -- achieving 7 percent growth and increasing per capita income to $40,000 -- into reality, using his experience as a corporate CEO who led the country's development and as mayor of Seoul who implemented massive projects." Yoo Chang-moo, vice chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, asked the president-elect to build a society where law and principles are respected and create an atmosphere where business is valued. "We want to see our president aggressively engage in sales diplomacy and resource diplomacy, just like French President Nicolas Sarkozy when he flew to Libya to sell Airbus aircraft," he said. Military leaders asked the president-elect to restore the identity and pride of the military. They called for national division and military confrontation to be seen not from an ideological perspective but from a realistic viewpoint. An Army colonel said, "The first and foremost raison d'etre of the military is to protect the people from the enemy. In the current circumstances, it's hard to teach the soldiers who the main enemy is. It's high time politicians and those in power stopped rocking the foundation of the military and sapping soldiers' morale." Military leaders also stressed the need to restore the Korean-U.S. alliance and help the military seek forward-looking development. Kim Moon-ki, the spokesman of the Korea Veterans Association, said, "The Korean-U.S. alliance, which has been maintained for over 50 years, has been hurt and national defense and security efforts, the very foundation for the administration of state affairs, have been frustrated. We must urgently restore the Seoul-Washington alliance and create a national consensus for defense."

Trade unions were split.

5//BrazilSun.com, Brazil
CUBA HOSTS CENTRAL AMERICAN ENERGY COOPERATION SUMMMIT

Twelve developing economies from Central America and the Caribbean will meet Friday in the Cuban city of Cienfuegos in a bid to work out a mechanism for energy cooperation. The fourth Petrocaribe Summit will review the implementation of agreements and exchange opinions on efforts to consolidate it as a mechanism of energy cooperation and integration in the region.

Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Alejandro Gonzalez said Wednesday that Venezuela, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominique, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Haiti, Jamaica and Nicaragua have confirmed participation in the summit. The other four members of the grouping are Bahamas, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Surinam. Gonzalez said the one-day meeting would conclude with the inauguration of the Camilo Cienfuegos oil refinery, which will process 65,000 barrels of oil a day during the first stage of operations. ... Petrocaribe was established in 2005 to manage energy resources of the member countries in the region.

FEATURED ARTICLE

The Independent, UK Published: 20 December 2007

A COMMON MARKET FOR HEALTH

British patients may soon have the right to be treated anywhere in EU

By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor

Europe stands on the brink of a historic decision to open its borders to medical tourism, casting a dramatic spotlight on the performance of the UK's health system against that of neighbouring countries.

Cancer treatment, heart surgery and hip replacements could be available, in certain circumstances, to UK citizens in any of the EU's 27 countries. Under the plans, they would have the right to seek treatment anywhere which offered quicker access to care than was available on the NHS, with the NHS picking up the bill.

Citizens of other EU countries would have a corresponding right to come to the UK for treatment. Patients would have to be referred by a doctor and demonstrate they faced an "undue" delay for treatment in their own country.

Labour MPs yesterday warned the Brussels proposals would worsen inequalities, increase bureaucracy and undermine the financial stability of the NHS. Patients who go abroad would have to pay for their treatment and claim reimbursement, favouring the "well-off and well-informed".

The British Medical Association said there would be difficulties in providing follow-up care and UK doctors could be left to "pick up the pieces".

But assuming the proposals are eventually approved, the expansion of choice will keenly focus attention on the performance of the NHS against other health systems as patients across the EU try to work out the best countries to seek care.

As details continued to be fine-tuned, the European Commission yesterday delayed until the new year an announcement of the draft plans which are expected to vastly increase the choices available to EU citizens in need of medical care.

(SNIP)

After five years of unprecedented investment, with an extra £45bn poured into the service, the NHS has moved up the league of health spending and now matches the EU-15 average at more than 9 per cent of GDP.

There has been a big expansion in staff, with 80,000 more nurses and 17,000 more doctors since 1997. Heart disease deaths are down 36 per cent in the past decade and cancer deaths down 16 per cent.

Waiting times have fallen dramatically, down to a maximum of six months for routine surgery. In 2000, more than 200,000 people were waiting more than a year. The Government claims the NHS is on course to reduce waits to a target maximum of 18 weeks from GP referral by the end of next year.

Despite these improvements, Britain's health record falls short against our closest neighbours. The UK still has the lowest number of doctors among leading EU countries for its population, though the gap has fallen since 1999.

(SNIP)

The EU said the delay to yesterday's announcement was for "agenda reasons", to allow other business to be dealt with. But reports suggested the draft directive had been held back for further work after it provoked widespread criticism. It requires approval by EU ministers and could become law by 2010.

The UK Department of Health said it would oppose the move. A spokesman said: "We think it is critical that the legislative framework ensures that the NHS retains the ability to decide what care it will fund to meet the needs of individual patients."

Copyright 2007, Gloria R. Lalumia

WORLD MEDIA WATCH