Health News

Singapore seeks US tariff concessions on pharmaceutical exports

Singapores deputy prime minister said the city-state is negotiating concessions for pharmaceutical exports to the United States after a call with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Gan Kim Yong, who is also the trade minister and helms the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce, told reporters Sunday that pharmaceuticals make up more than 10 percent of the city states exports to the United States, according to the Straits Times. Gan said he had a call with Lutnick on Friday. "While the US is not prepared to lower its 10 percent baseline tariff, we agreed to explore how we could deepen our economic links positively and we will continue to discuss the practical way forward," Gan wrote on his LinkedIn page. "I welcomed Secretary Lutnick to visit Singapore, and look forward to further developing our trade and investment partnership with the US." Singapores election is on May 3 and it comes as the wealthy country faces a turbulent global economy upended by US President Donald Trumps tariffs. The ruling party has said it is important for it to get a strong mandate to handle the choppy waters ahead.

WHO urges halt to health workers performing female genital mutilation

The World Health Organisation said on Monday it wanted a code of conduct to bar medical workers from performing female genital mutilation (FGM). Issuing fresh guidelines on how to halt FGM, the UN health agency highlighted the important role played by health professionals in detecting the widely condemned practice and supporting survivors. But it said there was evidence to suggest that health workers in several parts of the world were themselves often called upon to perform the procedure, rather than it being done by local communities. "Female genital mutilation is a severe violation of girls rights and critically endangers their health," said Pascale Allotey, WHOs head of sexual and reproductive health and research. "Health workers must be agents for change rather than perpetrators of this harmful practice and must also provide high quality medical care for those suffering its effects," she said. FGM involves the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs. It can lead to serious health problems including infections, bleeding, infertility and complications in childbirth. An estimated 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM, according to UN Women, with the practice typically carried out on young girls before they reach puberty. Significant effort has gone into halting the traumatic and painful procedure, which is linked to cultural norms and has no health benefits. - Unintentionally legitimising FGM - WHO highlighted that since 1990, the likelihood of a girl undergoing the procedure has decreased threefold. However, it remains common in some 30 countries, with around four million girls remaining at risk each year, it said. The UN health agency said the medicalisation of FGM risked "unintentionally legitimising the practice", thereby jeopardising the efforts to root it out. It called in its new guidelines for professional codes of conduct that expressly prohibit health workers from performing FGM. It also stressed "the need to positively engage and train health workers for prevention". "Research shows that health workers can be influential opinion leaders in changing attitudes on FGM," said Christina Pallitto, a WHO scientist who led the development of the new guidelines. "Engaging doctors, nurses and midwives should be a key element in FGM prevention and response." In addition to prevention, the new guidelines include clinical recommendations to help ensure that FGM victims receive empathetic and high quality medical care. Highlighting the large variety of short- and long-term health issues caused by the practice, the WHO said: "Survivors may need a range of health services at different life stages, from mental health care to management of obstetric risks and, where appropriate, surgical repairs."

WHO urges halt to health workers performing female genital mutilation

The World Health Organisation said on Monday it wanted a code of conduct to bar medical workers from performing female genital mutilation (FGM). Issuing fresh guidelines on how to halt FGM, the UN health agency highlighted the important role played by health professionals in detecting the widely condemned practice and supporting survivors. But it said there was evidence to suggest that health workers in several parts of the world were themselves often called upon to perform the procedure, rather than it being done by local communities. "Female genital mutilation is a severe violation of girls rights and critically endangers their health," said Pascale Allotey, WHOs head of sexual and reproductive health and research. "Health workers must be agents for change rather than perpetrators of this harmful practice and must also provide high quality medical care for those suffering its effects," she said. FGM involves the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs. It can lead to serious health problems including infections, bleeding, infertility and complications in childbirth. An estimated 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM, according to UN Women, with the practice typically carried out on young girls before they reach puberty. Significant effort has gone into halting the traumatic and painful procedure, which is linked to cultural norms and has no health benefits. - Unintentionally legitimising FGM - WHO highlighted that since 1990, the likelihood of a girl undergoing the procedure has decreased threefold. However, it remains common in some 30 countries, with around four million girls remaining at risk each year, it said. The UN health agency said the medicalisation of FGM risked "unintentionally legitimising the practice", thereby jeopardising the efforts to root it out. It called in its new guidelines for professional codes of conduct that expressly prohibit health workers from performing FGM. It also stressed "the need to positively engage and train health workers for prevention". "Research shows that health workers can be influential opinion leaders in changing attitudes on FGM," said Christina Pallitto, a WHO scientist who led the development of the new guidelines. "Engaging doctors, nurses and midwives should be a key element in FGM prevention and response." In addition to prevention, the new guidelines include clinical recommendations to help ensure that FGM victims receive empathetic and high quality medical care. Highlighting the large variety of short- and long-term health issues caused by the practice, the WHO said: "Survivors may need a range of health services at different life stages, from mental health care to management of obstetric risks and, where appropriate, surgical repairs."

Experts for expansion of preventive healthcare to improve poverty condition

Public health experts at a discussion emphasized the expansion of preventive healthcare to improve poverty conditions by preventing loss of livelihoods. They said that effective and sustainable management is needed to ensure preventive healthcare. The pressure to meet health-related costs has become one of the main obstacles to reducing peoples poverty, they added. Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) organized the discussion on What to do to improve sustainable health and nutrition at its office, said a press release here today. PKSF managing director Md Fazlul Kader, Healthcare Reform Commission member Dr Ahmed Ehsanur Rahman, Institute of Health Economics of Dhaka University Professor Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, WaterAid regional director Dr Khairul Islam and Ad-Din Welfare Centre president Dr Mohammad Abdus Sabur, among others, addressed the discussion. In his speech, Md. Fazlul Quader said, "PKSF prioritizes poverty alleviation and post-poverty development through sustainable income growth. But the amount of money people have to spend out of their own pockets to meet the medical expenses of various diseases is one of the main reasons for their loss of income. To address this challenge, preventive healthcare services must be expanded nationwide." Dr Ahmed Ehsanur Rahman said, "Health care must be made a part of the political commitment. Primary healthcare is a fundamental human right. The government must ensure this right by enacting laws."