Elisabeth Mahase

The group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has urged the government to investigate and potentially proscribe the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF) under terrorism laws, according to media reports. UKLFI, a group of lawyers who campaign for Israel, reportedly wrote to the Home Office, Charity Commission, and the Fundraising Regulator alleging that MSF had previously employed people with ties to Palestinian terrorist organisations. It further alleged that the charity did not have adequate safeguards in place to ensure charitable resources were not “exploited by terrorist organisations.” A UKLFI spokesperson told the Telegraph , “We are not questioning legitimate humanitarian medical work. But humanitarian status cannot place an organisation beyond proper scrutiny. “We have therefore asked the Charity Commission and Fundraising Regulator to investigate MSF UK and have submitted our evidence to the home secretary for consideration under the Terrorism Act.”1 MSF has strongly denied the allegations and claimed it is the “target of a disinformation …

Hospitals and general practices across the country are asking patients to “describe their experience in their own words” amid a rise in overly complex AI written complaints. In new guidance, GPs have said that, although they understand AI tools such as ChatGPT can help patients organise their thoughts, they can also “make it harder for practices to understand what actually happened.”1 This is because AI tools can provide “incorrect information, add details that are not true, include laws, rules, or rights that …

The Galleri multicancer detection blood test has been recommended by the US drug regulator’s expert advisory panel, despite concerns over its effectiveness. The decision by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) came a day after results from the NHS-Galleri trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine , showed that the test had failed to meet its primary endpoint: lowering the incidence of stage 3 or 4 cancers across 12 cancers after three screening rounds.1 The FDA panel was split on whether it thought the blood test, which retails for $949, was effective, with six members voting in favour of it being effective and four voting against.2 Stanley Lipkowitz, senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), who voted no when asked about effectiveness, said that when it came to patient outcomes “we don’t have that data.” He also warned that approving the test without data to prove effectiveness would set a precedent for assessing subsequent tests. Experts in the UK, where the NHS-Galleri trial—funded by the test’s US manufacturer, Grail—has been ongoing for several years, also expressed concern after the trial results. They highlighted the test’s failure to reduce stage 3 and 4 cancers, the lack of data on patient outcomes, especially mortality, and trial’s failure to consider overdiagnosis. In 2023 NHS England said it planned to purchase one million …

Those born between the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2010s seem to be drinking less alcohol than older generations. Why is this—and could it be a public health opportunity? Elisabeth Mahase reports The data seem to suggest so. According to the latest NHS health survey for England (2022), 25% of people aged 16 to 24 reported not having had an alcoholic drink in the past year. This was the highest proportion seen across any adult age group, and compared with a low of 14% among those aged 55 to 64.1 It seems this is not a new trend either. Among the 16 to 24 age group, the percentage of non-drinkers (people who haven’t had a drink in the past 12 months) rose from 19% in 2011 to a pandemic high of 38% in 2021 and then down to 26% in 2022. A higher proportion of men in this age group do not drink (28%) compared with women (24%). This age group also had the lowest proportion of people who drank frequently, with just 10% drinking between three to four days a week up to almost every day. This was compared with highs of 34% among 55 to 64 year olds and 37% among 65 to 74 year olds. The survey also found that the proportion of children aged 8 to 15 who had ever drunk alcohol has fallen considerably—from 45% in 2003 to 14% in 2022. “It’s likely to be multifactorial,” says Ian Gilmore, chair of the UK Alcohol Health Alliance, listing several potential reasons, including this age group being more risk averse and having more mental health problems and less disposable income than older generations. “We’re certainly seeing increases in alcohol related harm in baby boomers [those born between 1946 and 1964] and they’ve carried on with their teenage …

In an exclusive interview with The BMJ Spain’s health secretary urges doctors to be patient as the government tries to reform working hour rules for healthcare staff Spain’s framework governing maximum working hours for healthcare professionals, called Estatuto Marco, hasn’t changed since 2003. However, the government is now trying to update the framework, reducing on-call shifts from 24 hours to 17, capping weekly hours at 45, and banning standard shifts directly after on-call shifts.1 The reform bill was sent to Congress at the start of September and is now working its way through the parliamentary system. Although most unions, including the nurses’ union, now support the updated framework, after months of negotiations, seven unions representing doctors have rejected it. They are arguing for a separate framework specifically for doctors that reflects the “unique aspects arising from their training and responsibility.”2 Spanish health secretary Javier Padilla Bernáldez says that, if passed into law, these working hour reforms “would be the biggest advance in labour rights for healthcare professionals in the last two decades.” After strike action earlier this year in protest at the proposed changes, doctors have now said they will start an indefinite strike on 28 October. The Spanish Confederation of Medical Unions (Confederación Española de Sindicatos Médicos) has called the …

Doctors and researchers have developed a new definition of myocardial infarction. Elisabeth Mahase explores what’s different about this definition and why it matters most for women In late August, cardiology leaders unveiled a new definition for myocardial infarction at the European Society of Cardiology congress. Published in European Heart Journal , the official journal of the European Society of Cardiology, this is the fifth universal definition and replaces the definition published in 2018. Notably it is the first definition co-developed by four major cardiac societies: the European Society of Cardiology, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the World Heart Federation.1 US cardiologist Kristen Newby—co-chair of the definition committee, representing the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association—says the first major change is that they have simplified the classification system. The previous definition divided myocardial infarction into five numerical categories—types 1, 2, 3, 4a, 4b, 4c, and 5—but the new definition uses just three: primary, secondary, and procedure related. “Primary myocardial infarction” includes the most common type of heart attack, when a plaque ruptures and a thrombus (clot) forms in the artery, says Newby. “But it now also includes all the more …

England may be experiencing another early flu season and could see yet another mutated virus. Elisabeth Mahase looks at why, and what this means for vaccination timings For the second year in a row, it looks like the influenza season has started early in England. “It is very early in the season, but the number of hospital admissions for flu are the highest that I can remember seeing at this time of year,” says Frankie Swords, national medical director at NHS England, speaking at a briefing on winter viruses on 8 October. The latest surveillance report from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)—covering 28 September to 4 October 2026—shows that influenza activity is increasing, with a flu test positivity rate of 6.5%, up from 5% the previous week.1 Meanwhile, hospital admissions for flu are at 1.97 per 100 000. As this is the first week of reporting on this figure, there is no comparison. The agency says that, although levels are still low, “flu trends have been rising since August, and there are possible signs that we may see an early flu season.” Jamie Lopez Bernal, UKHSA consultant epidemiologist, says that the flu activity levels since August have been the highest in recent years—and this is being felt in both primary and secondary care. “The hospitalisation rates are higher than in the last five seasons for this time of year, but still just within the …

Any NHS staff member suspected of improperly and unlawfully accessing patients’ medical records will be immediately suspended, NHS England has announced. Staff under suspicion will also have their access to NHS computer systems cut off, under a “zero tolerance crackdown on snooping staff,” NHS England said. Jim Mackey, NHS England chief executive, has written to every …

The recent flooding in Nepal has shown the world just how vulnerable lower income countries can be to the worst effects of climate change. Elisabeth Mahase reports Four weeks after a ferocious flood swept away Nepal’s mountain communities, shocking the world, the country’s prime minister took to the stage at the United Nations in New York City. “The Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster was not just a local tragedy; it was a warning to the world, and I ask you today, have you really heard that warning?” Balendra Shah asked the world’s heads of state.1 He accused political leaders of being “negligent” in not translating climate warnings into action “at the speed and scale that the vulnerable people require.” Shah continued, “Nepal contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. We did not create this crisis, yet we are paying a colossal price for it.” This is a sentiment shared by vulnerable and low income countries around the world and especially across South Asia. From monsoons, flooding, and landslides to cyclones and extreme heat, South Asia remains one of the regions most vulnerable to the disastrous effects of the climate crisis. So far more than 1400 deaths have been confirmed in the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster, and more than 6000 people are still missing. Evidence suggests that the flood was probably caused by a melting and collapsing ice glacier.2 In the weeks since Shah addressed the UN, Nepal has again faced flooding, …

People with obesity are being failed by the government, MPs have said, as they demanded a radical upscale and overhaul of the treatment offered to improve care in England. The House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee’s report on obesity treatment called on ministers to accelerate the rollout of tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and double the number of bariatric surgeries being carried out.1 MPs labelled the current phased approach to tirzepatide “unambitious” and said that the rollout was currently reaching a “woefully small number of people who could benefit from this life changing treatment.” The committee also warned of the alarming number of children with obesity and urged the government to ensure that they have the “specialised, holistic support they need.” Around one in three adults in England are obese, while two thirds …