The road to a better normal: Breast Cancer patients and survivors in the EU workforce

Healthcare systems in Europe have slowly transformed breast cancer from a fatal condition into a (frequently chronic) disease. This transformation, while greatly welcome, has brought in its wake a growing societal challenge. An increasing number of female breast cancer patients and survivors of working age are capable of returning to employment and wish to do so.1 Not all of them succeed, however, and not simply for medical reasons. Breast cancer creates psychological and economic stress for the women directly involved, but it also impacts society as a whole.

The road to a better normal: Breast Cancer patients and survivors in the EU workforce

The road to a better normal: Breast cancer patients and survivors in the EU workforce is an Economist Intelligence Unit report, sponsored by Pfizer. It investigates the challenges involved in the return to employment for a growing number of breast cancer patients and survivors of working age. In particular, it examines the growing number of women in this situation who wish to work, the barriers to doing so, and how key stakeholders could help.

Preventing Stroke: Uneven Progress

The burden of stroke on countries, communities and individuals is well-documented, with stroke survivors being troubled by a greater range of disabilities than those with any other condition. Fortunately, the risk factors for stroke are relatively well-understood by medical professionals, and opportunities have been identified to implement effective prevention and management strategies. However, these best practices are not consistently implemented around the world.

Global Stroke Prevention Policies

Policy Approaches to Stroke Prevention

Preventing stroke: uneven progress is a report by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), sponsored by The Bristol-Myers Squibb–Pfizer Alliance. It assesses policy efforts to reduce risks of stroke in 20 countries globally based on a scorecard rating each country’s performance across different aspects, including awareness, screening practices and policies among others.

Living with HIV: Challenges in Spain's HIV management

Living with HIV: Challenges in Spain's HIV management

HIV management, has been written by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and is sponsored by Gilead Sciences. It is informed by the insights of a panel of experts on HIV in Spain and five in-depth interviews. The report’s aims: to assess the current knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS, of late diagnosis, of ageing and comorbidities in Spain and to identify any current gaps in the provision of healthcare services to patients in Spain. 

Living with HIV: Challenges in Spain's HIV management

However, for the first time, nearly half of HIV-infected people on Spain are over the age of 50; they are facing special challenges resulting from the accumulated toxicities of earlier treatment and from social difficulties and exclusion—primarily affecting those infected in the earliest wave of the epidemic. Spain’s populations most at-risk of contracting HIV are also changing, but practices to encourage early detection and testing are not being adjusted in a timely manner. 

 

To infinity and beyond—three things international donors should consider as health economic evaluation goes global

Imagine you have a budget of £150m (US$193m) to spend in a country where the prevalence of malaria and teenage pregnancy is high, as are the corresponding infant, child and maternal mortality rates. You have three options to spend your money: a programme to distribute bed nets, protecting children against malaria; a programme that expands access to family planning, offering protection to young women; or a salary reform initiative, enabling the Ministry of Health to hire enough staff. You haven’t got enough money to do it all and you need "quick and attributable wins" that avoid negative media on the wastage of money. What would you choose?

New EIU index highlights need for political and financial commitment to improving access to healthcare

The Global Access to Healthcare Index measures how healthcare systems across the world are working to solve the most pressing healthcare needs of their population. The top performers are the Netherlands (1st), France, Germany (tied for 2nd), Australia and the UK (tied for 4th), while the Democratic Republic of the Congo (59th) and Afghanistan (60th) are at the bottom of the index. Political will and a social compact are prerequisites for both extending access to healthcare and building sustainable health systems. Public investment underpins good access and demonstrates the commitment of governments to ensuring the health of their populations. The index shows that there is a strong correlation between human development (health, education and income) and access to healthcare.

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