Spain’s Holiday Shopping Boom Despite Economic Woes

Spain’s new Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy inherits huge economic problems but with the holidays approaching, stores and restaurants are mostly full.

Spain’s Hard-Hit Health Care System

Spain’s unemployment rate is Europe’s highest and with revenues shrinking, Spain has had to slash spending. One hard-hit sector is health care.

The Sick American And The Ailing Spanish Health Care System

This summer an American friend, an old college buddy, came to visit us in Barcelona with his family. Unexpectedly, someone in his family fell ill. We ended up in the emergency room of a local hospital.

Ivorian Refugees Affecting Liberian Health Care

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More than 170,000 refugees have fled the violence in Ivory Coast for neighboring Liberia. Health care is already inadequate for rural Liberians. Dr. Raj Panjabi, a Liberian-born Harvard Medical School physician, co-founded a rural health care organization in Liberia called Tiyatien Health. He spoke with The World’s Marco Werman about how the Ivorian refugees are overwhelming the already fragile health care system in Liberia. Download MP3

Official website of Tiyatien Health

How do we win the future?

In his State of the Union address, President Obama told Americans that “the first step in winning the future is encouraging American innovation.” The President said, maintaining leadership “in research and technology is crucial to America’s success.” What do you think? What’s your take on how America can win the future? Post your comments here

‘Our generation’s Sputnik moment’

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“This is our generation’s Sputnik moment,” President Obama said during last night’s State of the Union address. He was referring to the need to spur innovation and stay competitive in a rapidly-changing world. The World’s Jeb Sharp tells us what Sputnik was and whether the analogy makes sense for today’s challenges. Download MP3

Discuss medical rationing in the US

For some perspective on medical rationing in the US, we invited Dan Wikler. He’s an ethics professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and former staff ethicist for the World Health Organization. You can join the conversation with Dan Wikler and Sheri Fink at theworld.org/rationinghealth

The discussion is live through next week.

Haiti health care system threatened

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The earthquake that struck Haiti in January left hundreds of thousands of survivors in need of immediate medical attention. The international community responded, with doctors, nurses and medical equipment. The temporary abundance of free care appears to be endangering Haiti’s own health care system. The World’s Amy Bracken has the story.(Photo: Logan Abassi/The United Nations) Download MP3

• CDTI Haiti
• Slideshow from CDTI Haiti
• Audio Slideshow: Haiti quake opportunity to restore rural ecology?
• Haitian earthquake survivor in the U.S.
• In Haiti, a musical pre-quake tradition restored

Entire program – March 30, 2010

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Today on The World: President Obama turns to foreign policy now that the health care vote is passed; Also, a French philosopher warns French mothers — don’t try to be American-style super-moms; Plus, Haiti’s approaching rainy season has authorities scrambling to move people to higher ground.

Healthcare and foreign policy

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Roger Cohen is among those who view passage of the health care bill as a boon for President Obama’s foreign policy. Cohen wrote about the issue in today’s New York Times.

Health care for illegal immigrants

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The last piece of the health care reform law is now on its way to President Obama. He’s expected to sign it next week. The law’s main purpose is to extend health care coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. Non-Americans who are here illegally are still out of luck. The World’s Alex Gallafent reports on what that could mean for the nation’s health care system. Download MP3 (flickr image by taberandrew)

• Q&A: US healthcare reform
• On The World: Living with American health care

Living with American health care

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President Obama has signed his ground breaking healthcare bill at a ceremony in the White House. The bill was bitterly opposed by the Republican party, which argued that its provisions were too costly. Justin Webb (pictured) has experienced health care both in the USA and in the UK. He was the BBC’s North America editor, before moving back to Britain last year.

• BBC coverage
• Reporting US health care reform abroad
• Health coverage on The World

Reporting US health care reform abroad

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The House of Representatives has passed the landmark healthcare reform bill at the heart of President Barack Obama’s agenda. The bill was passed by 219 votes to 212, with no Republican backing. David Baron talks with Mitch Potter, Washington Bureau Chief of the Toronto Star, and Gregor Peter Schmitz, US Correspondent for Germany’s Der Spiegel, about how they are covering healthcare reform for their home countries. Download MP3

• Gregor Peter Schmitz: “US Health Care – Good for America, Bad for the World?”
• BBC coverage
• Video of President Obama’s reaction
• Health coverage on The World

Homeopathy in Britain

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British lawmakers have determined that homeopathy, a form of alternative medicine, is not medicine of any kind at all (beyond a placebo.) Britain funds four homeopathic hospitals in the UK, spending about six million dollars per year. The World’s Alex Gallafent reports.

• Parliamentary enquiry into homeopathy
• An array of responses to the enquiry, collated by the BBC
• Britain’s Faculty of Homeopathy
• Hpathy portal

Health care in Spain

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Health care access isn’t a right in the United States. But it is in many other countries… including Spain. Recently two Spanish towns began to chip away at that. They started by denying benefits to undocumented immigrants. The World’s Gerry Hadden reports from Vic, Spain.