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Furore: Can British software diagnose more accurately than doctors?
Medical diagnostics software is creating a furore in the UK by allegedly making more accurate diagnoses than doctors themselves! This software was developed by Babylon, a company that specialises in artificial intelligence and works closely with the National Health...
IVF treatment too expensive for the British NHS
The British public health system needs to cap its expenditure. Reimbursement of IVF for infertile or same sex couples is an enormous potential saving that hospitals are beginning to take on board. The London borough of Croydon was the first to stop funding IVF...
Burkina Faso set for the release of genetically modified mosquitoes?
In Burkina Faso, the National Agency of Biosafety (NAB) is set to authorise the release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the coming weeks. Since 2012, the village of Sourkoudiguin has been a focal point for the Target Malaria project. Financed to the tune of $70...
United Kingdom: accidental disclosure by NHS of personal data for 150,000 patients
A coding error has triggered the breach of data held for 150,000 British patients who had opted out of sharing their confidential health information. The error was flagged up when TPP, a leading NHS IT supplier[1], switched to a new coding system to manage electronic...
Human “artificial ovary” reaches a major milestone
Danish researchers at Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet have succeeded in developing human follicles on a totally cell-free synthetic ovarian tissue "scaffold" created by bio-engineering. As far as researchers are concerned, this would be a better...
England to offer routine DNA testing
As from 1st October 2018, people in England will have access to DNA tests on an unprecedented scale when the NHS becomes the first health service in the world to routinely offer genomic medicine. Hospitals across England will be connected to specialist centres that...
8 million people born through medically assisted reproduction in the last 40 years
Data collected from various international registers have allowed accurate figures to be published on medically assisted reproduction around the world. The findings were presented during the 34th ESHRE (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology)[1]...
Presumed consent: Argentina changes law on organ donation
The Argentina's Lower House has adopted "Justina's law" which presumes consent for organ donation. As from today, "all adults over 18 are organ donors unless they expressly indicate otherwise before death". Up until now, organ donors have had to give their consent....
In New Zealand, consultation under way to extend the posthumous availability of gametes and embryos
In New Zealand, the Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ACART) has announced that a public consultation is under way to assess terms and conditions for accessing posthumous reproduction in the event of the death of a relative. The agency...
Organ transplantation in China – good developments or hidden trafficking?
A lack of real transparency is apparent in the Chinese organ transplant system. After years of controversy over the execution of political prisoners with a view to harvesting their organs, China finally banned this practice in 2015, making the voluntary donation...
In the Netherlands, “euthanasia code of practice” makes legal assisted suicide available to elderly people who are not terminally ill
People no longer have to be terminally ill or even ill in the Netherlands—older people who consider that their suffering is unbearable and whose situation is unlikely to improve can now resort to euthanasia. Even if they are not in the terminal stage of a disease and...
American Bishops publish ethical guidelines for health personnel
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has just published the sixth edition of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Services: Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services. These revised directives, approved by...