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Donors Wanted!

Cheddar, UK (View on map)
Posted 12 Jan 2008:

Every day, one person in the UK dies, while his or her life could have been saved by a donor organ. The United Kingdom has long lists of people waiting for an organ transplant to save their lives. A handful of European countries, including Spain, Austria, Belgium and Sweden have tried to solve the waiting list problem by automatically turning all of their citizens into organ donors, obviously with a possibility for people to resign from the program. The UK has no such system in place, but the introduction of `presumed consent` is on the way. I am asking some people in Cheddar whether they would agree to such a drastic change in organ donation policy?... Read more

Flashy pharmacies

Paris, FR (View on map)
Posted 2 Dec 2007:

Being ill is never pleasant but the French can take pride in being quite well off. France`s health care system covers a wide range of treatments and is accessible to anybody living and working in France. Like many other industries in France, health care is managed under strict supervision of the state but they seem to be doing an OK job. Life expectancy is very high, for French women even the second highest in the world.... Read more

Smoking in Spain

Salamanca, ES (View on map)
Posted 13 Nov 2007:

While some countries in Europe are starting to consider smoking an undesirable activity, Spain is going strong. Instead of signs marking that smoking is prohibited, many bars proudly advertise that their visitors can smoke. `Se permite fumar` (you are allowed to smoke) is a wide-spread message, even though it`s usually followed by several health warnings. I wonder why smoking is so popular, and what people will do if smoking gets banned from pubs and restaurants.... Read more

Road@Safety.LT

Siauliai, LT (View on map)
Posted 20 Aug 2007:

Lithuania does not have the best possible reputation for traffic safety. Out of all European countries, it registers the highest number of fatal traffic accidents per capita per year. Other European nations even fear Lithuanian drivers on their roads as the drivers are said to export the problem along with them. Unlike the drivers, the roads in Lithuania are claimed to be able to `compete with the best in Western European` and Lada cars have largely been replaced by a more modern fleet of Volkswagens and Audis. So, what is still going wrong?... Read more

Healthcare and Hospitals

Vilnius, LT (View on map)
Posted 18 Aug 2007:

Below photo shows Julija (26), a friend of my host Vilda, in a university hospital of Vilnius after she fell on her back earlier on the day during an excursion to the Centre of Europe Park. She got her spinal cord injured and has to stay in hospital for two days. By the time she is allowd to leaves, she will have to wear a corset for a month in order to recover properly. I already planned to write about the healthcare system in Lithuania, but am now using her accident as an introduction to the rest of what I have been finding out.... Read more

The smoking ban

Dublin, IE (View on map)
Posted 15 Aug 2007:

During the past two weeks, I have come to know the Irish as a people that is weary of rules. At most occasions, they will do whatever lies in their reach to avoid complying with them. I was expecting that they would also have their reserves about the smoking ban. Introduced in 2004, it made Ireland the first country worldwide where smoking was prohibited in public places, including pubs and restaurants. The law was not granted a very warm welcome. Smoking was socially acceptable in Ireland and it remains so in present times. But three years have past since the law was passed and the opinion seems to have turned around in favour of the smoking ban. With similar laws soon to be passed in the rest of Europe, I spent my last day in Ireland finding out about people`s thoughts and comments on the matter.... Read more

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