Latest news with #healthcarecrisis
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
‘Fear and distrust': why children's healthcare is in crisis
Children operated on when there was no need; industrial springs being used instead of approved medical devices; a doctor diverting children to his own private clinic leading to them facing dangerous treatment delays; and a poisonous work culture on the wards – these are some of the issues that have emerged in our children's hospitals. And that's before the not so little matter of the massive budgetary and time overruns that plague the unfinished national children's hospital. The body tasked with overseeing the healthcare of the nation's children is Children's Health Ireland. It was founded in 2019 and in just six years has faced a mounting number of controversies and scandals. READ MORE Questions are now being asked about the ability of CHI to do its job. And that's a job that will get all the more complicated when the children's hospitals, each with their own culture and way of doing things, have to merge under one roof when the new hospital opens. CHI is funded by the HSE and answers to it, so what role does the State's healthcare body play in all this? And what is Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll McNeill going to do as CHI lurches from crisis to crisis? Irish Times health correspondent Shauna Bowers explains. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.
CBC
28-05-2025
- General
- CBC
'Seeking a Physician': 96 and doctorless, N.S. senior turns to the classifieds
The unusual advertisement in the Friday morning newspaper caught the eyes of many Nova Scotians. It tells the story of a 96-year-old woman who is "of sound mind and body" for her age, and who doesn't want to be "a burden to the healthcare system." Her biggest concern? She doesn't have a family doctor. "I am apparently somewhere in the 80,000's in the physician waiting list, and so time is increasingly of the essence," the ad reads. Dorothy Lamont wrote that ad, using the title "Seeking a Physician" — a last-ditch effort to take matters into her own hands after three years without a family doctor. "I really didn't know what else to do," Lamont told CBC News in an interview at her home in downtown Dartmouth, N.S. "I should have a doctor. You know, at 96 years old, there's sure to be problems. But I have no one to turn to." Lamont said in the past nine years, she has had five doctors, all of whom retired or left the city. This has left her with a virtual doctor that she says just isn't cutting it. "It doesn't make sense to me," she said. "And I'm sure there are many other seniors in the same situation as I am." Though Lamont's tactic of advertising for a doctor is unique, her story isn't. An estimated 6.5 million Canadians don't have a family doctor. According to a recent Health Canada report, Canada needs nearly 23,000 additional family physicians to address the shortage. In Nova Scotia, Premier Tim Houston has campaigned on fixing health care and is aiming to slash the list of people waiting for a family doctor or nurse practitioner. The list has been shrinking, after it reached a peak of about 160,000 last June. Still, 91,474 people — or about 8.6 per cent of the province's population — were on the Need a Family Practice Registry as of May 1. "I think for all folks that are dealing with complex health concerns or for the average person in Nova Scotia, we want to connect as many people as possible as quickly as possible to care," Bethany McCormick, Nova Scotia Health's vice-president of operations for the northern zone, said in an interview Tuesday. 'At 96, I think you deserve a bit better' Lamont, a retired Grade 4 teacher, loves spending time outside tending to her tulips and large vegetable garden. She calls herself a "busy person" who used to be an avid reader before her eyesight deteriorated. She has lived in Nova Scotia all her life, and says she remembers decades ago when doctors made house calls, and it seemed like most people had access to primary medical care. Her son, Stewart Lamont, is also without a family doctor. He said his mother had a health scare last year and he spent hours with her in the emergency department. When she was eventually discharged, there was no followup because she had no doctor to send the file to. He said his mother isn't angry with the government and isn't trying to be political. What she is doing is standing up for herself and other seniors in similar situations. "We respect our seniors, we try to look after them. At 96, I think you deserve a bit better," he said. "I'm just proud of her that … she is still willing to make a public statement." The provincial Department of Health and Wellness declined an interview request for Health Minister Michelle Thompson, and directed the request to the Nova Scotia health authority. McCormick, from Nova Scotia Health, said she can't discuss Lamont's case due to patient confidentiality, but she urges anyone without a doctor to make sure their information is up to date on the registry, because the list is triaged. Patients on the registry fill out a health questionnaire and a health complexity score is created for them. "It tells us about their type of concerns and people that have chronic conditions or more complex health-care needs, maybe a new emerging issue," McCormick said. "We do use that as a way to think about who needs continuous care and connection to a family practice sooner." McCormick said she has never heard of someone putting an ad in the paper looking for a doctor. "I think that person is trying to advocate for their health-care needs, which I think is important." A surprise call Stewart Lamont said he received a call from a Nova Scotia Health employee on Friday afternoon, after the advertisement ran in the newspaper, saying his mother's information wasn't filled out properly on the registry and would now be added. They called back Monday morning and said they were working to find her a doctor. Then Monday afternoon, a Dartmouth medical clinic called and said a new doctor moving to the province to take over from one of her former physicians who retired years ago can take her on as a patient in the next few months. CBC News contacted the clinic, who said the doctor is on vacation and unavailable to comment. Dorothy Lamont said she is optimistic, but is left with one thought. "I would like all our seniors to be able to have a doctor to go to, not just me because I put the ad in."
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Disarray at Department of Veterans Affairs imperils patient care, internal documents reveal
The Department of Veterans Affairs, the nation's largest integrated healthcare system, has been plunged into crisis amid canceled contracts, hiring freezes, resignations, layoffs and other moves by the Trump administration and Elon Musk's so-called 'department of government efficiency' (Doge), internal agency documents obtained by the Guardian show. The documents paint a grim picture of chaos across the department's sprawling network of 170 veterans affairs (VA) hospitals and more than 1,300 outpatient clinics, which serve 9 million US military veterans. At the Danville VA medical center, in rural Illinois near the Indiana border, so many nurses resigned that hospital administrators were forced to close the acute care unit to new patients. The dysfunction has also included a backlog of 2,298 unread radiology exams in Orlando, Florida, and the cancellation of a dozen rheumatology appointments in Montrose, New York. In Battle Creek, Michigan, a spate of resignations, early separation offers and a hiring freeze has led to a 'critical' shortage of police officers responsible for protecting VA patients. The Guardian's investigation, based on a review of 'issue briefs' filed within the last month to the agency's central office by staff at more than a dozen hospitals, comes at a time of increased scrutiny of the Trump administration's handling of the VA. In response to a detailed list of findings from the Guardian, the VA press secretary Peter Kasperowicz argued the conditions described didn't represent a problem. 'The only thing these documents show is that VA has a robust and well functioning system to flag potential problems and quickly fix them,' he said in an email. 'The Guardian's attempt to spin these outdated, routine reports to make VA look bad is dishonest.' Kasperowicz did not dispute that the acute care unit in Danville, Illinois, had been closed, but said the hospital was 'actively recruiting replacement nurses'. In Orlando, he acknowledged the backlog of radiology 'after two radiologists quit', but said it had since been reduced by 40% – meaning nearly 1,400 veterans were still waiting. The issues raised by the documents are 'typical in any large healthcare system' and 'have nothing to do with VA's reform plans', he said. The VA secretary, Doug Collins, has promised to cut 80,000 jobs and has said he will do so without reducing the quality of care or the availability of benefits. Earlier media reports have revealed the administration's actions have imperiled life-saving cancer trials, suicide prevention research and treatments for opioid addiction. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, the ranking Democrat on the Senate committee of veterans affairs, said the Guardian's reporting showed the agency to be 'rash and reckless'. Representative Mark Takano of California, the ranking Democrat on the House committee on veterans affairs, said the documents deepened the concerns of lawmakers who have already raised alarms over the potential impact of the Trump administration's policies. 'When we undercut an agency established to work for veterans, we fail them,' he said. The agency has already dismissed 2,500 workers and canceled more than 500 contracts. Blumenthal said those dismissals, which primarily targeted new hires, 'destroyed morale' and harmed recruiting. 'The ramifications are sweeping,' he said. 'It infects every aspect of the work environment', with 'potentially life-threatening consequences'. Collins said the dismissals and large-scale staff contraction are designed to reduce bureaucracy that often keeps people from accessing healthcare. However, Federal News Network reported on 20 May that more than 14,000 VA employees in healthcare positions had applied to leave their jobs through government-wide separation initiatives, citing an internal agency dashboard. Those requesting a buyout or early retirement included more than 1,700 nurses, nearly 900 advanced medical support assistants and more than 200 physicians. The documents obtained by the Guardian show that some of the current disarray tracks back to the department's aggressive 'return to office' mandate, which prompted staff to depart before replacements were in place. The National Teleradiology Center based at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System saw 'a substantial exodus' following the mandate, according to one document. As of 15 May, one-third of image reads did not meet the legally required response time. 'Operational capacity is continuing to diminish,' the document notes. In interviews the week before the Memorial Day weekend, veterans expressed frustration with the dysfunction, which has resulted in lost jobs and delayed appointments, and a concern that the agency – which enjoys the trust of 92% of veterans, according to a 2024 survey – could be at risk. 'This isn't normal,' said Matthew Crescenzo, 32, an Afghanistan war veteran, who was laid off on 25 February after Doge canceled the contract he was working on that was meant to improve healthcare access to veterans who live in far-flung locations. The layoff prompted him to seek mental healthcare, but he hasn't been able to access it. 'We're seeing a unilateral movement on the part of the executive to dismantle services that benefit veterans,' said Christopher Purdy, an Afghanistan war veteran and founder of the Chamberlain Network, a non-profit that mobilizes veterans to protect democracy through organizing, education and community engagement. A Unite for Veterans rally is planned for Washington DC on 6 June. Organizers say they are modeling it on the 1932 'Bonus Army' march on Washington – when thousands of first world war veterans gathered on the National Mall demanding promised benefits, only to have the US military deployed against them. Purdy said organizers invoked the Bonus Army in planning the 6 June march, because 'we're in a moment where it's not clear that the country is still going to fulfill its obligations to the veteran community'. Gathering on the mall was necessary, he added, because the typical levers of accountability, including congressional oversight, had failed. Crescenzo, who has been receiving VA healthcare since his discharge from the US army in 2017, said he had not seen this type of dysfunction before. Amid dismissals and threats of further job cuts, employees seem unable to focus, with the remaining providers under stress and less able to care for veterans. On 28 February, three days after he was dismissed from his job as a VA contractor, Crescenzo requested a referral to a mental health provider. He wanted help managing the layoff, along with post-traumatic stress disorder he developed after his service and more newly diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. His primary care doctor requested that Crescenzo see a psychiatrist for 'possible medication management', but no one followed up to schedule the appointment. On 14 April, emails show, Crescenzo had still not received care – or even been given an appointment. 'I have been attempting to reach them for weeks with no success,' he wrote. A nurse wrote back extending 'my apology for the above concerns', but after yet another follow-up from Crescenzo, stated he would need to wait an additional week or two to schedule the psychiatric appointment. 'Sorry for the delay,' the nurse wrote. Crescenzo still hasn't seen a psychiatrist, but was finally able to schedule an appointment – for 15 July.
Zawya
19-05-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Healthcare system in South Sudan faces collapse
The lives of more than 250,000 people in need of medical assistance in South Sudan are at risk due to the continued attacks on medical facilities and providers in the ongoing conflict. Health experts say that as the conflict in the country and in its neighbour Sudan continues, the healthcare system is on the verge of collapse. Staff of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) - Doctors Without Borders - held a media briefing in Nairobi on May 15, a week after their hospital in Old Fangak, Joglei state, which provided healthcare for about 110,00 people, was destroyed in aerial bombardment. Read: 7 killed, 20 injured in bombings in South SudanMSF says that there is a growing trend where health facilities that are normally spared attacks by protagonists in the conflict are now the target of attacks, despite South Sudan being sustained by humanitarian interventions since its independence in 2011. According to the UN, eight facilities were attacked or targeted since the beginning of this year. Dr Bakri Abubakr, MSF operations manager, said that besides the attacks on medical facilities, the biggest challenge is the massive displacement of people in multiple regions, which makes it difficult for medical providers to reach them. He said that more than 60,000 people have been displaced in Upper Nile State, more than 50,000 in Jonglei State, and between 20,000 and 30,000 have fled to neighbouring Ethiopia. At the same time, more than a million South Sudanese returnees are flocking to the country from Sudan, as hundreds cross over from the Democratic Republic of Congo - many of them with medical needs.'This means pregnant women can't continue with their prenatal appointments, children who can't get their vaccinations, HIV and TB patients who can't get their medications anymore,' Dr Abubakr said. Zakaria Mwatia, MSF head of mission in South Sudan, said that in other locations where MSF is still working, they received people who had to walk for two weeks to reach a facility where they can receive treatment, including pregnant women, sick children and old people. Some that had received serious burns reach the facilities with infections that are beyond rescue.'We are expecting a situation where we will experience overcrowding in our facilities, yet our facilities have been overstretched by attacks. We expect more visits in the coming rainy season, where there will be an increase in malaria cases and cholera due to mass displacement,' Mr Mwatia said. Since its independence in 2011, South Sudan has been struggling with weak infrastructure, key among them the health sector. There are limited facilities, and half of the health facilities were non-functional when the civil war broke out in 2013. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), only about 44 percent of the population lives within a 5km radius of a health facility. A number of facilities lack appropriate structures, personnel and supplies, with some forced to depend on mobile services operated by NGOs. Now, the violence that started in late February and peaked on March 4 when the White Army - a Nuer youth militia - overran a government garrison in Naris, Upper Nile, has spread to neighbouring Ulang and Malakal, Jonglei State, and Western and Central Equatoria states with medical facilities being the target for looting and destruction. The targeting of medical facilities is likely to have a serious impact on those in need because most of these primary health facilities, according to Dr Abubakr, have been forced to shut down due to budget cuts by donors, specifically the Trump administration's decision to freeze aid to most countries of the global south. Yet, the conflict is now threatening to drive out the few humanitarian agencies that exist to provide healthcare. Abdallah Hussein, MSF head of operations, explains that in April, the only hospital in Ulang, which had been in place for around five years, was looted and knocked down. That hospital was serving 150,000 people. On May 3, the MSF hospital in Old Fangak was also attacked and the medical warehouse destroyed. Two caretakers, one patient and four staff were wounded.'Our presence in these areas is well known,' Mr Hussein said. 'We are in constant communication with warring parties to respect the safety of our personnel and patients. So, the challenge we face today is the difficulty in assessing the needs of the displaced. It is very difficult for us to know the needs of these people and to accurately respond to them.'MSF operates 14 projects across six states and two administrative areas. Before the bombing on May 3, the MSF hospital in Old Fangak provided inpatient, outpatient, emergency and maternity services, treated children for malnutrition, responded to disease outbreaks, conducted mass immunisation campaigns and provided emergency referrals by boat. Read: UN rights body condemns hospital bombing in South SudanThe health system in South Sudan is heavily reliant on external support. So, South Sudan government spends around 1.3 percent of its budget on health, and 80 percent of health services are run by NGOs. Helen Richard, MSF humanitarian affairs adviser, said that the capacity of the humanitarian organisations in South Sudan is significantly compromised, given that the facilities that are already under-resourced are now under attack.'It is not only the attacked facilities that have suspended operations, but there are many that have closed down because of reduced funding and insecurity,' said Ms Richard, who added that MSF's budget for this year stands at $119 million. Like most African nations, South Sudan has significant differences in the distribution of healthcare facilities between its rural and urban areas. Hospitals, clinics, and private health services are comparatively easier to find in urban areas like Juba, Wau, and Malakal. The majority of South Sudan's 12 million population live in rural and isolated locations, which frequently have little or no access to operational medical services. They depend on facilities such as primary health care units, which are modest centres for maternal care and basic outpatient treatments; and primary health care centres, which can conduct minor surgical operations, immunisation, and outpatient services. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
RNZ News
16-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
UnitedHealth: One of America's biggest companies is imploding
By Matt Egan , CNN UnitedHealth chief executive Andrew Witty testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill on May 1, 2024 in Washington, DC. He has resigned abruptly from the business. Photo: AFP / Getty Images / Kent Nishimura UnitedHealth Group, one of the US's biggest corporations and a member of the exclusive Dow Jones Industrial Average, is suddenly unravelling. The crisis engulfing UnitedHealth hit a crescendo this week when chief executive Andrew Witty stepped down abruptly for "personal reasons". UnitedHealth also swiftly abandoned its financial guidance, blaming skyrocketing medical costs. And then The Wall Street Journal dropped the hammer, revealing that UnitedHealth is under federal criminal investigation for possible Medicare fraud. The developments have stunned investors, triggering a dramatic loss of confidence. UnitedHealth's (UNH) stock has lost half its value - a staggering US$288 billion (NZ$490b) - in the span of a month. Its share price plunged on Thursday (US time) to its lowest level since April 2020, during the height of the pandemic. It's a spectacular reversal of fortunes for one of America's most powerful companies and the nation's largest health insurer. The trouble at UnitedHealth comes almost exactly six months after the killing of Brian Thompson, one of its top executives . The brazen shooting of Thompson, in Midtown Manhattan, captured international attention and surfaced deep public resentment toward the healthcare industry . The UnitedHealth selloff gathered steam on Thursday, with the Journal report of a federal criminal investigation driving UnitedHealth shares down another 13 percent, leaving them on track for their worst week since 1998, according to FactSet data. The DOJ's healthcare-fraud unit is overseeing an investigation into possible Medicare fraud at UnitedHealth, the Journal reported. UnitedHealth responded to the report by posting a statement online that described the Journal' s reporting as "deeply irresponsible" because the paper acknowledged the precise nature of the potential criminal allegations is unclear. "We have not been notified by the Department of Justice of the supposed criminal investigation reported, without official attribution, in the Wall Street Journal today," UnitedHealth said in the statement. "We stand by the integrity of our Medicare Advantage programme." The DOJ declined to comment. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, founder of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute, said the abrupt nature of the chief executive transition at UnitedHealth is quite telling. "The fact the board moved with this much speed means they obviously lost confidence in the chief executive. It's got to be pretty bad if they moved this fast," Sonnenfeld said. "It's astounding." UnitedHealth described the chief executive switch as a decision Witty made "for personal reasons" and the company said he has agreed to serve as a senior adviser. But Sonnenfeld suspects Witty was forced out. "'Personal reasons' is the humiliation of this implosion," he said. UnitedHealth is turning to a familiar face to clean up the mess: Stephen Hemsley, its former longtime chief executive and current chairman. Hemsley praised Witty for displaying "real integrity and compassion during one of the most difficult periods any company could endure". The new chief executive also, however, made clear his displeasure with UnitedHealth's stumbles. "To all stakeholders, including employees and shareholders, I am deeply disappointed in and apologise for the performance setbacks we have encountered from both external and internal challenges," Hemsley said during a conference call on Tuesday. Sonnenfeld hailed the decision by UnitedHealth's board to bring back Hemsley, who led the company to success between 2006 and 2017. "He does know where the bodies are buried, and he's the perfect guy to go to," he said. Morgan Stanley analyst Erin Wright agrees, describing Hemsley in a research report as "the most appropriate person to step in as CEO at this juncture in light of the recent setbacks". UBS analyst AJ Rice, in a report to clients, praised Hemsley as a "steady hand to lead the company in this turbulent time". Hemsley will have his work cut out for him. Beyond the reported DOJ investigation, UnitedHealth is facing intense scrutiny from multiple parts of the federal government. In its annual report, UnitedHealth acknowledged the company "has been involved or is currently involved in various governmental investigations, audits and reviews". UnitedHealth said these include "routine, regular and special investigations, audits and reviews" by a wide range of agencies, including the DOJ, the Internal Revenue Service, the Labor Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The developments have unnerved investors - especially the decision to abandon 2025 financial guidance. Bank of America downgraded UnitedHealth from "buy" to "neutral" on Tuesday, warning that it could take years for the company to recover. _CNN
