# Health news 5th-7th March 2011



## Northerner (Mar 7, 2011)

*NHS shakeup risks return to 1930s, warns leading doctor*
The government's deliberate dismantling of parts of the NHS risks returning healthcare provision back to the grim and unfair days of the 1930s and 40s, one of Britain's leading doctors has warned. The sweeping reforms are in danger of turning the service into "an increasingly tattered safety net" for those with complex illnesses such as diabetes and obesity because private healthcare firms will "cherry-pick" patients who are easy to treat, said Dr Mark Porter, the chairman of the British Medical Association's hospital consultants committee.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/mar/06/nhs-shakeup-risks-return-doctor 

*Cuts put future of more than 50 hospitals at risk*

The future of at least 50 hospitals is under threat from the unprecedented squeeze on NHS finances, evidence shows. Alarm about cuts to services outweighs all other concerns for senior managers of NHS trusts as they struggle to balance their books, the NHS Confederation says.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...f-more-than-50-hospitals-at-risk-2234229.html

*Simple blood test for Down's syndrome is on its way, say scientists*

Scientists have developed a blood analysis that tells expectant mothers if they are carrying a child with Down's syndrome and hope to offer the test to all pregnant women. The test could replace existing surgical techniques used to diagnose the genetic disorder in unborn babies. These techniques cause about one in 100 women to miscarry.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/mar/06/downs-syndrome-simple-test-in-pregnancy

*17 gene finds could slash heart attacks*
Scientists have made a series of landmark discoveries that could revolutionise the treatment of heart disease. Medical experts have identified 17 previously unknown genetic causes of conditions that can lead to heart attacks or strokes.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/233010/17-gene-finds-could-slash-heart-attacks

*Women's lung cancers has doubled since 1970s in over-60s*

Lung cancer rates have more than doubled for women over 60 since the mid-1970s, figures show. Cancer Research UK figures say the rate rose from 88 per 100,000 in 1975 to 190 per 100,000 in 2008, the latest year for which statistics are available.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12651455

*Concerns about controversial MS treatment*
Serious concerns have been raised about a controversial vein-widening treatment being offered to people with multiple sclerosis. An investigation by BBC Inside Out discovered that one doctor carrying out the procedure in Egypt is not licensed to practice medicine in that country.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12637191

*?775m health research funding 'to benefit NHS patients'*

The government has announced funding worth ?775m for research that ministers say will directly benefit NHS patients. The cash will be spent over the next five years on projects that improve results in priority areas, such as heart disease, cancer and dementia. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12653306

*Hope for early bowel cancer DNA test*
Scientists have discovered what could be the first step towards a DNA test to detect the early signs of bowel cancer. Tests on two distinct genes were highly accurate in distinguishing between tumours and benign polyps - growths in the bowel that can become cancerous.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12637096


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## FM001 (Mar 7, 2011)

Depressing news is coming out everyday about the future of the NHS, the ConDem government have a hidden agenda in wanting to privatise the NHS through the back door, god help us all if they achieve this as diabetes care like many other serious conditions will suffer greatly.


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