National Health Administration Research Articles

The impact of clinical biochemistry on university education in france

In France, clinical biochemistry, similar to other disciplines of laboratory medicine, is taught in both the regular medical and pharmacy curricula, but medical teaching is oriented more towards the interpretation of laboratory findings than test performance. At present, there is no compulsory program of lifelong continuing education, but it is planned to introduce such an obligation in the near future. The practice of laboratory medicine is regulated strictly by the national Health Administration. Clinical laboratories are multidisciplinary, covering simultaneously clinical biochemistry, microbiology, parasitology, hematology and immunology. The only officially recognized laboratory profession is that of ‘Director of a Laboratory for Medical Analysis’. The practice of this profession is only open to physicians and pharmacists, provided they graduated in ‘Medical Biology’ after 4 years of specialized training through a particular type of residency called the ‘internat’. The ‘interns’ are selected by competitive examination. After completing their curriculum, specialized physicians or pharmacists can without further examination or certification either enter a career in a hospital, a university, or both, or direct or co-direct a private laboratory. In this scheme, clinical biochemistry exists as a separate academic discipline, but barely as a distinct profession.

Universal coverage: building on Medicare and employer financing.

Universal coverage requires a strategy to sever the link between insurance coverage and employment in order to build a more stable insurance base. Universality also will require subsidies to make coverage affordable. Given these realities, the authors evaluate different financing proposals--employer and individual premium mandates and taxes--in terms of equity, affordability, and administrative and political criteria. An expansion of Medicare offers an insurance alternative that takes advantage of existing administrative structures of national scope.

Current status and prospects of radiation processing studies in Taiwan, R. O. C.

The research on radiation processing in past 5 years in Taiwan covers industrial application of radiation-induced polymerization and curing, medical application of radiosterilization of medical supplies, chemicals, and amniotic membrane for wound dressing as well as agricultural application of food irradiation and genogenesis etc. Radiation-induced polymerization applied on wood and bamboo plastic composite of methyl methacrylate, radiation curing on polyurethane and silicon rubber for biomedical material using to separate oxygen from nitrogen and on crosslinking of pp and ps for artificial skin for wound dressing were all success. Radio-sterilization of disposable medical supplies appears for immediate application after the studies of the dose requirement of several radioresistant microorganisms, dose distribution measured by chemical dosimeters of ceric sulfate and Fricke dosimeter as well as quality control system were completed. The radiosterilization study of tetracycline - HCl and few detoxic agents like atropine sulfate and toxogonin has shown the promising results on radiosterilization of chemicals, the radiosterilization of amniotic membrane for wound dressing are also success. Food irradiation on sprouting inhibition of potatoes, garlic etc, on radiodisinfestation of cereal insects, tobacco bettles, soybean insects, and flour beetles, as well as on frog legs and porks have been also discussed. The legislation on radiosterilization of medical supplies and food irradiation of 14 items has been approved by National Health Administration, R.O.C. in July of 1982 and January of 1985 respectively. Even 24 hrs-operation of 1 Mega curie irradiation plant at INER can not satisfy the requirement of radiosterilization of medical supplies. A private commercial irradiation plant is urgently needed in Taiwan other than at INER now.

WHO--a source of inspiration for researchers?

Traditionally, the research community—be it biomedical or socio-medical—has not looked at the World Health Organization for inspiration. Understandably so: according to its constitution, the organization was founded to assist the Member States in strengthening health services by providing technical assistance (1). The staffing pattern has reflected this role; most staff members are technical experts, not researchers. They often come from the national health administrations and have limited exposure to—sometimes even limited understanding of—research.

Radiation control through licensing and intensive training.

Various types of intensive training courses to suit radiation workers in different fields were sponsored by both the Atomic Energy Council of Executive Yuan and the National Health Administration of Executive Yuan, Republic of China during the past seven years. During the years 1974-79, the number of radiation workers attending each training course, their age, sex and educational background are presented in detail. The typical course contents for both medical and non-medical radiation workers are given. A summary of the percentage of passes and failures of the final examination given at the end of each training course is also given. The present status of licensing for radiation facilities and workers is described, and its results are indicated. The successful control of ionizing radiation through this kind of intensive training and licensing is evidenced in the film badge records given by a centralized service laboratory located at the National Tsing Hua University.

Communication and disease

SynopsisBeing a healthy traveller involves communication in more than one sense of the word.Health administrations have a responsibility to prevent illness associated with international travel and trade without undue interference to these inevitable activities. Past experience of travel-associated disease transmission should determine epidemiologically justified and cost-effective preventive measures.The aeroplane transmits disease faster but should not become the scapegoat for travel-associated ill health. Viral influenza can spread rapidly because of air travel but the latter's role in transmission of diseases such as cholera and smallpox in the past or viral haemorrhagic fevers in the future may not be clear cut.Surveillance activities are essential to enable the earliest possible detection of disease because measures taken with the intention of keeping a disease out of a country cannot be foolproof. Frank and rapid exchange of information between national epidemiological services is essential for effective control of international spread of diseases.National health administrations have an obligation to provide travellers with reliable information. A specific programme co-opting the medical profession, travel agencies of every form and the media is necessary.The World Health Organisation should collaborate with national health administrations in the prevention of disease associated with travel.

Sounding board. When health policy becomes victim blaming.

The rhetoric of the new administration's national health policy reflects a shift in priorities that could have a profound impact on the lives and health of Americans by the end of the decade. It is a move away from what has been a heavy economic investment in disease treatment and toward a greater emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. So far, the new emphasis has been limited to budget cuts in old health programs rather than new investments or initiatives. Two principal reasons are offered for the change in policy. The first is that medical care is widely perceived . . .

The optimization evaluation of SO2air pollution and monitor network in kaohsiung area

Abstract The optimization theory of air pollution estimation is utilized to investigate the SO2 pollution in Kaohsiung area. Accordingly, the computed concentration from Gaussian dispersion model and the measured concentration data are combined to find the optimized pollutant source strength and the optimized SO2 concentration distribution. The field studies of the SO2 pollution in Kaohsiung area by National Health Administration during September, 1975 to June, 1977 are compared to clarify the plausibility of the optimized results. Employing the optimized results, the influence of pollution sources and the validity of the mornitoring stations of SO2 are fully discussed, and an optimal mornitor network is also suggested.

World Health Organization

The annual report of the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the year 1956 was a comprehensive account of the year's accomplishments, in which particular emphasis was laid on the eradication of certain communicable diseases, especially malaria, on WHO's role in the development of national health services and on the effect of the research stimulated, promoted or coordinated by WHO on the national health administrations. The report also referred to the responsibility of WHO in a new field of public health—the peaceful uses of atomic energy.

International Co-operation in the Service of Health

Early attempts to check the spread of epidemics involved chiefly precautions intended to guard individual port cities against invasion of plague or cholera. The first real multilateral international health agency was the Pan American Sanitary Bureau, established under the name of the International Sanitary Bureau by the First International Sanitary Conference of American Republics held in Washington in 1902. The Bureau has acted as the executive organ of the Pan American Sanitary Conferences, held on the average once in every three or four years. Some of its major duties have been: (1) to prevent introduction of infectious diseases into the American republics, and from one republic to another; (2) to restrict quarantine measures to the minimum compatible with prevention of disease; (3) to collect and distribute epidemiological intelligence; (4) to act as a consulting bureau for the American health authorities; (5) to improve national health administration; and (6) to promote liaison between the national health services. The Bureau has devoted itself primarily to the problems of the more serious epidemic diseases. In this area it has proved a most useful agency, to which American governments have turned for advice or assistance.

World Health Organization

The fifth session of the WHO Executive Board was held in Geneva from January 16 to February 2, 1950. Long-range plans for WHO operations were outlined, and the Board recommended that the 1951 program should continue at the same general level, with primary emphasis on strengthening national health administrations and on control work against malaria, tuberculosis, and venereal disease. Development of services in the fields of maternal and child health, mental health, nutrition, sanitation, health statistics and medical training facilities would also be stressed.

Science and Engineering in China

IN a review of developments in China under the republican regime entitled “China To-day: The Thirtieth Anniversary of the Chinese Republic, 1911-1941” (Central Union of Chinese Students in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. Pp. 55. 1s.) there are three articles of special interest to scientific workers. The first of these, by P. M. Yap, describes the utilization of science in China, where science and statecraft are already closely linked. In peace-time, the National Economic Council is responsible for economic planning, the execution of its plans resting with the Ministries of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Forestry, and Communications. The former maintains three research institutes for hydraulic engineering, for mining and metallurgy, and for industrial technology. Under the Ministry of Agriculture there is the National Agricultural Research Institute, and various research bureaux are attached to the Ministry of Communications, and also directly to the National Economic Council. The National Health Administration has steadily established a series of public health stations and clinics all over the country and has contributed much to the expansion and improvement of the Army Medical Service. Most of its research and development work is carried out in the National Institute of Health. Apart from the universities and private research foundations, scientific research of the long-range type is carried out by the Academia Sinica and the National Academy at Peiping, the former of which, through the National Research Council, is responsible for directing and co-ordinating scientific activities in China.

The study of disease prevalence in China

1. 1. The need for greater knowledge of disease distribution and prevalence in the larger world populations is stressed and the various methods of studying the problem in China are discussed. 2. 2. The classical medical literature of China, though voluminous, is shown to give little clue to disease-occurrence through the centuries. 3. 3. The first important effort to study the problem was represented by the Medical Reports of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs. 4. 4. Estimations of disease prevalence by means of 4.1. (a) Surveys of individual diseases; 4.2. (b) Insistence on scientific hospital reports, had been actively undertaken by the China Medical Missionary Association. 5. 5. In the absence of any general vital statistical service special significance had been lent to the Reports of the Hongkong and of the Shanghai Health Departments. 6. 6. The realisation that hospitals alone could give the required information, there being no general practitioner service outside one or two of the larger cities, had resulted recently in the initiation of a Survey of Hospital Patients undertaken by the Chinese Medical Association. This Survey had collected half a million card records, the analysis of which had provided most valuable information. 7. 7. A further development of great value in the study of medical statistical problems was the use of Experimental Health Areas, such as those of the National Health Administration, the Mass Education Movement at Ting Hsien, and the Peiping Union Medical College Special Health Area. 8. 8. Finally, in the emphasis she has given to morbidity statistics China has given a lead to those countries which still rely too much on mortality data for guidance in medical and health policies.