Greetings All:

The health issues news service I use, care2.com, had an article posted today that claimed the UK has had a 21% increase in maternal childbirth deaths over the past year. It also claimed that the average salary for physicians in the UK is now higher than in the US, thanks to a new agreement between physicians and the NHS, whereas there is a hiring FREEZE for midwifes.

As the late David Falk would have said, interesting, if true. My problem is that I have found it unwise to take press reports (even those vetted by well-meaning folks like those at care2.com) at face value. After all, the oft-lauded New York Times assured us a few years ago that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.

Are these statistics accurate? Are there interesting issues here (along with the usual costly bout of Humean sympathy I am so prone to) for consideration under the topic of, say, "justice in the distribution of health care resources?"

More importantly for purposes of this blog, will this be the occasion on which I loose those rose colored glasses through which I view all things "English?" Here in the USA there SIMPLY CANNOT BE a "FREEZEE" on hiring midwifes.

Bob Newsom