· April, 2012

Stories about Health from April, 2012

Côte d'Ivoire: Regarding Free Medical Care

  29 April 2012

Suy Kahofi writes [fr] on Africa Vox about free medical care in  Cote d'Ivoire : “The completely free care has, certainly, relieved the people, but it has been marred by problems : shortages in the supply of drugs, lack of nursing staff… The health professionals themselves  do not seem to...

Malaysia: Rare Earth Processing Plant Creates Backlash

  27 April 2012

An Australian mining company has established a processing plant in Kuantan, Malaysia. But many Malaysians are incensed that this plant was constructed without consulting the residents. Netizens debate whether the government should stop the operations of the rare earth processing plant

Haiti: Death by “Clairin”

  27 April 2012

“In early 2011, a dozen people died after drinking ‘clairin’ – a traditional Haitian alcohol drink – made with methanol in the Fond Baptiste region, north of the capital. Another 20 or so were blinded or paralyzed”: Haiti Grassroots Watch learns that “judicial, health and commerce authorities have not investigated...

Bulgaria: Penalty For Getting Pregnant

  26 April 2012

The blog “Работнически глас” (“Worker's voice”) tells [bg] about a trial scheduled for May 26: a former female employee is suing a company for a discriminatory clause in the work contract, which stated that any female employee who gets pregnant after being hired will have to pay a fine (700 lv,...

Cuba: Resorting to Hunger Strike

  25 April 2012

Cuban netizens, primarily from the diaspora, are once again blogging about instances of police abuse in the country and how the island's justice system routinely makes hunger-strikers out of prisoners of conscience.

Zambia: Former VP's Death Highlights State of Local Hospitals

  24 April 2012

Immediate past Vice President of the former ruling MMD government George Kunda died on 16 April 2012 at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in the capital, Lusaka. Despite mourning his death, netizens seized the opportunity to criticize the current status of health care in Zambia and highlight the need for reform.

Botswana: Botswana Forerunner for MDG7

  24 April 2012

Edmund Smith-Asante observes that Botswana is the only African country most likely to approach the MDG7 (achieving universal access to water by 2015): “Botswana currently experiences 89 under-five sanitation-related deaths yearly, the lowest on the African continent, saves 14 under-five lives annually with its current rate of investment in the...

Bulgaria: May Bicycle Parade

  23 April 2012

On May 19, the 15th annual May Bicycle Parade will gather thousands of supporters of cycling in Sofia with one clear goal – to count the cyclists and show that in Sofia there are more of them than ever. Bulgarian NGO “Bicycle revolution” is organizing the event [bg]. In 2009,...

This Week in the Caribbean Blogosphere

  21 April 2012

In last week's summary of the regional blogosphere, a young comtemporary artist from Barbados made the observation that the region is “more than the beach and coconuts.” Here's a round-up of what Caribbean netizens were talking about this week, with not one mention of beaches or coconuts...

Tunisia: Neglect of Those Wounded in the Revolution

Tunisians have been expressing their dissatisfaction and anger regarding the government's poor treatment of those wounded during the Tunisian revolution. Some of them have bullets still to be extracted from their bodies, and other had limbs amputated and are still waiting for prosthetic limbs.

Mexico City Netizens Celebrate World Bicycle Day

  19 April 2012

Netizens in Mexico City are celebrating World Bicycle Day by sharing their cycling experiences through blogs and Twitter. They are also trying to raise awareness about the risks of using bicycles as a means of transportation is such a busy city.

Video Highlights: Syrian Activism, Children's Issues and Dolphin Deaths

  18 April 2012

A selection of Global Voices' most recent and interesting stories like the Syrian protests in Middle East and North Africa, China and India's female gendercide phenomenon in South Asia and East Asia and viral video campaigns with Children in Mexico and the massive dolphin die-off in Peru for Latin America.

Nigeria: Nigerian Bloggers and Tweeps #SavedOke

  18 April 2012

Nigerian bloggers fought for the legs and life of diabetic youth #Oke and won the battle to keep him alive through social media advocacy. The successful #SaveOke campaign was ignited by some Nigerian bloggers and tweeps – spearheaded by Linda Ikeji to save Oke’s life.

Nigeria: Virality is a Cause

  16 April 2012

Emannuel Iduma discusses #SaveOke campaign in the context of Kony 2012: “I am interested, in joining my voice to #SaveOke, in telling ways in which KONY 2012 implicate readings of virality…If a #SaveOke video is made, and it goes viral, the complex questions of white supremacy and black inactivity will...

Guinea-Bissau: Military Attack Citizens in Demonstration

  15 April 2012

According to Simão Mendes National Hospital [pt], the military attacked citizens in a demonstration this morning, April 15, in front of the National Parliament of Guinea-Bissau. On Facebook they have posted a picture of a stabbed patient who arrived at the hospital, “before they [the military] come and take our...

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Juhie Bhatia
Juhie Bhatia is the Global Health editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.