IN THIS litigious age I get the impression that the Department of Health and doctors are being more cautious than ever for fear of being sued. This leads to 鈥渄efensive鈥� medicine, which may not always be in the interest of the patient. Or is it?
A news item in this magazine referred to drugs taken by pregnant women 鈥� for example, aspirin to reduce the risk of hypertension, or indomethacin to prevent premature labour (快猫短视频, 29 May 2004, p 9). I showed the piece to Melanie Johnson, the public health minister, and asked her what the DOH鈥檚 advice is.
She said advice on the use of medicines in pregnancy is provided in the British National Formulary, which all NHS doctors get. It says drugs should be prescribed to pregnant women only if the expected benefit to the mother is thought to outweigh the risks to the fetus, but all drugs should be avoided if possible during the early months of pregnancy. Certainly pregnant women should avoid taking over-the-counter medicines unless absolutely necessary, and should seek advice from their doctor, midwife or pharmacist before doing so.
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Johnson said the product information for prescribers of indomethacin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, includes the information on possible effects on a fetus if the mother takes it, and when it should be avoided. It does not recommend indomethacin for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. She adds that paracetamol is generally considered to be a safe and effective treatment for pain during pregnancy, but should also be avoided unless absolutely necessary.
IN THE 40 years that I鈥檝e been an MP I haven鈥檛 sensed much improvement in my fellow members鈥� understanding of science when it comes to fisheries, and in particular maintaining sustainable catches. It is an ongoing nightmare that the North Sea cod fisheries are following Newfoundland鈥檚 Grand Banks into collapse. The only idea that might put things right is the radical proposal to pay fishermen not to fish while stocks recover (快猫短视频, 18 December 2004, p 3).
Sadly, the government will not countenance such an idea. Ben Bradshaw, the fisheries minister, says the government believes it is more important to achieve a permanent reduction in capacity, since a temporary cessation, or 鈥渢ie-up鈥�, risks a future recurrence of the problem. The prime minister鈥檚 strategy unit, in its report Net Benefits: A sustainable and profitable future for UK fishing, supports this line, and argues that tie-ups are an effective option only when there is no excess capacity and if stocks recover relatively quickly.
I fear that some years ahead, politicians and fishermen will be wringing their hands, regretting that tougher measures were not taken back in 2005.
