(Subjects: Religion/Worship, Lightworkers, Food, Health, Prescription Drugs, Homeopathy, Innate (Body intelligence), New Age movement, Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text version)

“…… Should I use Doctors and Drugs to Heal Me or Spiritual Methods?

"Dear Kryon, I have heard that you should stay natural and not use the science on the planet for healing. It does not honor God to go to a doctor. After all, don't you say that we can heal with our minds? So why should we ever go to a doctor if we can do it ourselves? Not only that, my doctor isn't enlightened, so he has no idea about my innate or my spiritual body needs. What should I do?"

First, Human Being, why do you wish to put so many things in boxes? You continue to want a yes and no answer for complex situations due to your 3D, linear outlook on almost everything. Learn to think out of the 3D box! Look at the heading of this section [above]. It asks which one should you do. It already assumes you can't do both because they seem dichotomous.

Let's use some spiritual logic: Here is a hypothetical answer, "Don't go to a doctor, for you can heal everything with your mind." So now I will ask: How many of you can do that in this room right now? How many readers can do that with efficiency right now? All of you are old souls, but are you really ready to do that? Do you know how? Do you have really good results with it? Can you rid disease and chemical imbalance with your mind right now?

I'm going to give you a truth, whether you choose to see it or not. You're not ready for that! You are not yet prepared to take on the task of full healing using your spiritual tools. Lemurians could do that, because Pleiadians taught them how! It's one of the promises of God, that there'll come a day when your DNA works that efficiently and you will be able to walk away from drug chemistry and the medical industry forever, for you'll have the creator's energy working at 100 percent, something you saw within the great masters who walked the earth.

This will be possible within the ascended earth that you are looking forward to, dear one. Have you seen the news lately? Look out the window. Is that where you are now? We are telling you that the energy is going in that direction, but you are not there yet.

Let those who feel that they can heal themselves begin the process of learning how. Many will be appreciative of the fact that you have some of the gifts for this now. Let the process begin, but don't think for a moment that you have arrived at a place where every health issue can be healed with your own power. You are students of a grand process that eventually will be yours if you wish to begin the quantum process of talking to your cells. Some will be good at this, and some will just be planting the seeds of it.

Now, I would like to tell you how Spirit works and the potentials of what's going to happen in the next few years. We're going to give the doctors of the planet new inventions and new science. These will be major discoveries about the Human body and of the quantum attributes therein.

Look at what has already happened, for some of this science has already been given to you and you are actually using it. Imagine a science that would allow the heart to be transplanted because the one you have is failing. Of course! It's an operation done many times a month on this planet. That information came from the creator, did you realize that? It didn't drop off the shelf of some dark energy library to be used in evil ways.

So, if you need a new heart, Lightworker, should you go to the doctor or create one with your mind? Until you feel comfortable that you can replace your heart with a new one by yourself, then you might consider using the God-given information that is in the hands of the surgeon. For it will save your life, and create a situation where you stay and continue to send your light to the earth! Do you see what we're saying?

You can also alter that which is medicine [drugs] and begin a process that is spectacular in its design, but not very 3D. I challenge you to begin to use what I would call the homeopathic principle with major drugs. If some of you are taking major drugs in order to alter your chemistry so that you can live better and longer, you might feel you have no choice. "Well, this is keeping me alive," you might say. "I don't yet have the ability to do this with my consciousness, so I take the drugs."

In this new energy, there is something else that you can try if you are in this category. Do the following with safety, intelligence, common sense and logic. Here is the challenge: The principle of homeopathy is that an almost invisible tincture of a substance is ingested and is seen by your innate. Innate "sees" what you are trying to do and then adjusts the body's chemistry in response. Therefore, you might say that you are sending the body a "signal for balance." The actual tincture is not large enough to affect anything chemically - yet it works!

The body [innate] sees what you're trying to do and then cooperates. In a sense, you might say the body is healing itself because you were able to give it instructions through the homeopathic substance of what to do. So, why not do it with a major drug? Start reducing the dosage and start talking to your cells, and see what happens. If you're not successful, then stop the reduction. However, to your own amazement, you may often be successful over time.

You might be able to take the dosage that you're used to and cut it to at least a quarter of what it was. It is the homeopathy principle and it allows you to keep the purpose of the drug, but reduce it to a fraction of a common 3D dosage. You're still taking it internally, but now it's also signaling in addition to working chemically. The signal is sent, the body cooperates, and you reduce the chance of side effects.

You can't put things in boxes of yes or no when it comes to the grand system of Spirit. You can instead use spiritual logic and see the things that God has given you on the planet within the inventions and processes. Have an operation, save your life, and stand and say, "Thank you, God, for this and for my being born where these things are possible." It's a complicated subject, is it not? Each of you is so different! You'll know what to do, dear one. Never stress over that decision, because your innate will tell you what is appropriate for you if you're willing to listen. ….”

Monsanto / GMO - Global Health


(Subjects: Big pharma [the drug companies of America] are going to have to change very soon or collapse. When you have an industry that keeps people sick for money, it cannot survive in the new consciousness., Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text version)
"Recalibration of Free Choice"– Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth, 4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical) 8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)
"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)
"THE BRIDGE OF SWORDS" – Sep 29, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: ... I'm in Canada and I know it, but I will tell those listening and reading in the American audience the following: Get ready! Because there are some institutions that are yet to fall, ones that don't have integrity and that could never be helped with a bail out. Again, we tell you the biggest one is big pharma, and we told you that before. It's inevitable. If not now, then in a decade. It's inevitable and they will fight to stay alive and they will not be crossing the bridge. For on the other side of the bridge is a new way, not just for medicine but for care. ....) - (Text Version)

Pharmaceutical Fraud / Corruption cases

Health Care

Health Care
Happy birthday to Percy Julian, a pioneer in plant-drug synthesis. His research produced steroids like cortisone. (11 April 2014)
Showing posts with label Whistleblower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whistleblower. Show all posts

Sunday, February 9, 2020

China virus crisis deepens as whistleblower doctor dies

Yahoo – AFP, Laurent THOMET, Jing Xuan TENG, February 7, 2020

Medical staff walks past a makeshift memorial to the late ophthalmologist Li Wenliang
at the Houhu Branch of Wuhan Central Hospital on February 7 (AFP Photo/STR, STR)

 Beijing (AFP) - A Chinese doctor punished after raising the alarm about the new coronavirus died Friday after being infected by the pathogen, sparking an outpouring of grief and anger over a worsening crisis that has now killed more than 630 people.

At least 31,000 have been infected by the virus that ophthalmologist Li Wenliang brought to light in late December -- before becoming its latest victim.

The virus is believed to have emerged from a market selling exotic animals in Wuhan before jumping to humans and spreading across China and abroad as millions travelled for the Lunar New Year holiday.

Researchers at the South China Agricultural University have identified the endangered pangolin as a "potential intermediate host" for the disease, as the genome sequences of viruses found on the scaly mammal are 99 percent identical to those on coronavirus patients.

The virus has since spread across China, prompting the government to lock down cities of tens of millions of people, and panic has spiralled around the globe as more than 240 cases have emerged in two dozen countries.

The media keep watch on the Diamond Princess cruise ship with over 3,000 
people on board as it sits in quarantine at Yokohama port (AFP Photo/Kazuhiro NOGI)

 Hong Kong, meanwhile, announced it would forcibly quarantine arrivals from mainland China beginning Saturday, warning that anyone caught breaching the new rules faces up to six months in prison.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, whose countries have tussled over trade and human rights, spoke on the phone about the health emergency.

"We talked about, mostly about the coronavirus. They're working really hard and I think they're doing a very professional job," Trump told reporters at the White House.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday the United States would offer up to $100 million to China and other impacted countries to combat the fast-spreading coronavirus.

Beijing has been angered by bans on arrivals from China instituted by the United States and other countries.

A laboratory technician works on coronavirus samples at "Fire Eye" laboratory 
in Wuhan (AFP Photo/STR, STR)

 Li, 34, died early Friday, Wuhan Central Hospital said in a post on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform, an announcement that triggered deep sadness on social media over a doctor hailed as a hero.

"He is a hero who warned others with his life," a fellow Wuhan doctor wrote on Weibo.

There was also a rare collective bout of anger at the authorities and bold demands, including the hashtag "we demand freedom of speech", which was censored.

"Those fat officials who live on public money, may you die from a snowstorm," wrote another Weibo user in a comment that was later scrubbed.

In a sign that the criticism has shaken the Communist government, its anti-graft agency announced that it was sending a team to Wuhan to "conduct a comprehensive investigation into issues involving Dr. Li Wenliang reported by the masses".

A deserted street in Shanghai, as fear of the spread of the virus impacts 
cities across China, even those not in lockdown (AFP Photo/NOEL CELIS)

The foreign ministry and the National Health Commission expressed condolences for his death.

Death censored

Li's death has also highlighted the enormous risks that frontline doctors have taken to treat patients in overwhelmed and under-equipped hospitals in Wuhan, the quarantined city of 11 million people where the virus emerged in December.

Medical staff are overstretched and lack sufficient protective gear, the deputy governor of Hubei province admitted Thursday.

Li sent out a message about the new coronavirus to colleagues on December 30 in Wuhan but was later among a group of people summoned by police for "rumour-mongering".

He later contracted the disease while treating a patient.

Censors appeared to struggle with how to deal with his death.

Striking medical workers demand Hong Kong close the border with China 
to contain the virus (AFP Photo/Philip FONG)

State-run newspaper Global Times and state broadcaster CCTV first reported on Weibo that Li had died late Thursday, only to delete their posts after the death rapidly surged to be among the top topics on the popular platform.

Analysts have said local authorities played down the extent of the outbreak in early January because they were holding political meetings at the time and wanted to project an aura of stability.

The first fatality was reported on January 11. The death toll has since soared to 636, with 73 more reported on Friday and an additional 3,000 new infections.

Global spread

To control the spread, authorities have placed some 56 million people in Wuhan and surrounding cities under virtual lockdown.

Posters warn residents in Beijing to take protective measures against the
coronavirus (AFP Photo/GREG BAKER)

 Authorities in Wuhan are "combing" communities to find people suspected or confirmed to have the virus and place them in quarantine, state media said.

Major airlines have suspended flights to and from the country, while several countries have advised their citizens to leave China.

But cases keep emerging.

Two cruise ships carrying thousands of holidaymakers in Hong Kong and Japan have been placed under quarantine as authorities test people for infections.

On Friday another 41 people tested positive aboard the Diamond Princess in Japan, bringing the total number of infected cases on the ship to 61.

Timeline of events leading to the death of coronavirus whistleblower 
Chinese doctor Li Wenliang. (AFP Photo/Gal ROMA)

Another cruise ship carrying a passenger suspected of infection with coronavirus will not be allowed to dock in southern Japan, the government said Friday.

In Hong Kong, 3,600 people are facing a third night confined aboard the World Dream, where eight former passengers have tested positive for the virus.

While global concerns mount, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that that world was facing a "chronic shortage" of masks and other protective equipment.

Apple contractor Foxconn said Friday it would start making face masks alongside iPhones at its Shenzhen factory, aiming for 20 million by the end of February.
At least 31,000 have been infected by the virus that ophthalmologist Li Wenliang 
brought to light in late December -- before becoming its latest victim

Posted by Cempaka at Sunday, February 09, 2020 0 comments
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Thursday, October 31, 2019

Juul shipped 1 million contaminated products: lawsuit

Yahoo – AFP, October 30, 2019

A lawsuit filed in a federal court in California claims that e-cigarette maker Juul
had a culture of disregarding health and safety concerns (AFP Photo/Robyn Beck)

 Washington (AFP) - E-cigarette leader Juul shipped around one million mint-flavored pods that were "contaminated," and then failed to inform customers or issue a recall once it realized the problem, according to a lawsuit filed by a former executive.

It comes as the vaping industry is facing tough scrutiny amid a mysterious epidemic of lung conditions linked to e-cigarette use that has killed 34 people and sickened around 1,500 in recent months.

In the lawsuit filed in a federal court in California on Tuesday, ex-senior vice president for finance Siddharth Breja's legal team wrote he was sacked for "whistleblowing" by objecting to the contaminated pods shipment and other unsafe conduct like selling expired or near-expired products.

The claims were termed "baseless" by the company, which told AFP that Breja was terminated "because he failed to demonstrate the leadership qualities needed in his role."

But Breja's suit claimed that the company had a culture of disregarding health and safety concerns, and was led in a "dictatorial manner" by its ex CEO Kevin Burns who stepped down last month.

Breja said he had brought up concerns over a lack of expiration date labeling to Burns, who in an expletive-laden reply said half the firm's customers were "drunk and vaping like mofos" and would not even notice the quality of its pods.

The suit added that in March of this year, Breja learned that approximately 250,000 "Mint Refill Kits," or the equivalent of one million pods, had been contaminated, though the nature of the contamination was not specified.

Overriding his concerns, Juul refused to issue a product recall or issue a public health and safety notice -- despite the fact that Breja was asked to recover approximately $7,000,000 from the supplier of the eLiquid as a refund.

In a statement to AFP, Juul said: "The allegations concerning safety issues with Juul products are equally meritless, and we already investigated the underlying manufacturing issue and determined the product met all applicable specifications."

Breja's attorney Harmeet Dhillon told AFP meanwhile that Juul's admission of a manufacturing issue constituted a violation of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations.

"If the product met 'all applicable specifications,' then why did Juul destroy the remainder of the unshipped lot and instruct Mr Breja to obtain a multi-million-dollar refund from its supplier?" she said.

Posted by Cempaka at Thursday, October 31, 2019 0 comments
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Saturday, April 16, 2016

More people sworn to secrecy over medical error compensation deals

DutchNews, April 15, 2016

Photo: Depositphotos.com
At least 21 patients and relatives have reported signing a gagging agreement when reaching a settlement about poor care or medical errors, the Volkskrant reports on Friday. 

Last week health minister Edith Schippers urged people to let officials know if they had signed a contract pledging not to make public comments about their case or withdraw complaints in return for payments. 

Her call followed news that the parents of 21-year-old man had signed such a deal after he died due to serious medical errors. They also agreed to withdraw a police complaint. 

The 21 contracts involve hospitals, psychiatric care services, care of the elderly and handicapped and pharmaceutical firms, the Volkskrant says. 

Schippers is looking into banning such gagging clauses, saying they are not a desirable development. 

Meanwhile, health ministry inspectors are examining all 21 cases which have been reported to them. ‘The role of the inspectorate is to monitor the quality and safety of care,’ the inspectorate said in a statement. ‘This sort of contract is a direct contravention of that.’
Posted by Cempaka at Saturday, April 16, 2016 0 comments
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Friday, February 13, 2015

S. Korea cracks down on foreign-focused plastic surgery clinics

Yahoo – AFP, 13 Feb 2015
South Korea has announced a crackdown on illegal brokers and unregistered clinics
 in a bid to protect medical tourists, especially those drawn by the country's booming
plastic surgery industry (AFP Photo/Philippe Huguen)

South Korea on Friday announced a crackdown on illegal brokers and unregistered clinics in a bid to protect medical tourists, especially those drawn by the country's booming plastic surgery industry.

The Health Ministry unveiled a raft of measures drafted in response to a growing number of complaints over botched jobs and exorbitant billing, many of them filed by Chinese women who travel specifically to South Korea for cosmetic procedures.

A 50-year-old Chinese woman was left in a coma late last month after undergoing a procedure at a plastic surgery clinic in the up-market Seoul district of Gangnam.

"Market-disturbing activities involving illegal brokers and inflated fees, as well as disputes over malpractice, are sparking complaints from foreign patients," the ministry said in a statement.

"This package of measures is aimed at sustaining international trust in the country's plastic surgery market," it said.

The number of foreigners travelling to South Korea for medical treatment has been increasing by an average 37 percent a year since 2009 and totalled more than 210,000 in 2013.

Many of those came for cosmetic treatment, ranging from relatively straightforward procedures like unwanted hair removal and double-eyelid surgery, to highly invasive jaw surgery.

South Korea, and particularly Seoul, has an international reputation for plastic surgery, and adverts featuring famous surgeons and giant before-and-after photos are omnipresent -- on street billboards, subway trains, bus stops and the backs of bus seats.

China's growing middle class is a vast potential market, and many Korean clinics have Chinese-language websites.

According to the health ministry, more than 25,400 Chinese came for cosmetic treatment in 2013, an increase of 70 percent from the previous year, with each one spending an average of $3,150.

In order to prevent price-gouging and ensure standards are maintained, the new measures unveiled Friday require any medical facility treating foreign patients -- and any brokers they use to attract clients -- to register with the ministry.

Failure to do so carries a maximum three-year jail sentence and a hefty fine.

The ministry said it would offer cash rewards to people who help identify and convict unauthorised brokers, who often charge outrageous fees for their services.

A new online rating system will be introduced to evaluate medical service providers, and potential medical tourists will be able to research the results on an official website (www.medicalkorea.or.kr).

Operating fees, the possibility of side-effects and details for the settlement of post-surgery disputes must all be provided and agreed on before any procedure.

The government will also set up a dedicated agency to provide foreigners with information on medical facilities and assist with legal advice.
Posted by Cempaka at Friday, February 13, 2015 0 comments
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Sunday, September 14, 2014

Minister willing to take responsibility for scandal: Taiwan's premier

Want China Times, CNA 2014-09-14
Health and Welfare minister Chiu Wen-ta during a press conference, Sept. 5.
(File photo/CNA)

 Taiwan's premier Jiang Yi-huah said Saturday that Health and Welfare minister Chiu Wen-ta has expressed his willingness to take responsibility for a snowballing food safety scandal but that now was not the time to discuss personnel changes.

Jiang said during a visit to Pingtung county that Chiu told him he wanted to apologize to the public and was willing to take any responsibility he had to assume for the scandal, which involves cooking oil made from questionable ingredients getting into the food chain.

With food safety concerns yet to subside, Jiang said it was not the right time to talk about adjustments to personnel involved in food safety.

Jiang said the most important task at present was to pull products containing substandard oils made by oil supplier Chang Guann from store shelves.

Carrying out reforms on related systems and assessing who should be held responsible for the incident will be left to the next phase of the process, he said.

Chang Guann, the company at the heart of the oil scandal, was found to be producing lard-based cooking oils made with putrid kitchen waste and industrial waste by-products or lard for use in animal feed imported from Hong Kong.

Chang Guann chairman Yeh Wen-hsiang was detained by prosecutors early Saturday, while government agencies continue to track the companies that used the company's oils and the products made with them.

More than 1,000 food manufacturers and restaurants are said to have used the questionable oils from Chang Guann in their products.

Health minister Chiu, meanwhile, was quoted by his aide as saying on Saturday that he had no time to think about resigning for the time being because he was busy handling the aftermath of the substandard oil mess.

But Chiu said he would not shirk any responsibility that fell his way, his aide added.

Also Saturday, Executive Yuan spokesman Sun Lih-chyun said Chiu expressed his willingness to take responsibility for the food scare during the regular weekly cabinet meeting last week, but noted that the issue was not discussed during the meeting.

On Friday, several lawmakers urged Chiu to step down to take responsibility for what they see as his poor handling of the food safety scare.
Yeh Wen-hsiang apologizes for the oil scandal, Sept. 11. (Photo/CNA)

Kuo Lieh-cheng covers his face with a hat as 
he rushes into Pingtung District Court, Sept. 6.
(Photo/Lin Ho-sheng)



Posted by Cempaka at Sunday, September 14, 2014 0 comments
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Monday, September 1, 2014

Damning report condemns health authority conflicts of interest

DutchNews.nl, Monday 01 September 2014

(NOS/ANP)
A damning leaked report has called for a major shake up in the way the Dutch health authority operates, saying the current set up is vulnerable to conflicts of interest and government interference.

The report comes from an independent commission set up to investigate the way the NZa works following revelations about the suicide of a whistleblower and other scandals, the NRC and Nos television said on Monday.

The commission says the NZa's main roles - drawing up rules to cover health service treatment, and regulating hospitals and insurance companies - should be separated to avoid potential conflicts.

The NZa is not only responsible for deciding which drugs and treatment should be covered by the mandatory health insurance, but for supervising the advance of the private sector into the system.

Supervisory board

The NZA should also have a supervisory board and its two-man management board stretched to three. The two board members resigned in June after the NRC published a string of revelations about their expenses and hospitality agreements with insurance companies and drugs companies.

The organisation's personnel policy needs a complete overhaul as does the relationship between it and the health ministry, the report says.

Health ministry officials are also criticised for interfering in the NZa's work, which, the report says, has given rise to claims of 'unjustified interference'.

'There should be no interference from the minister in individual cases,' the report states.

Whistleblower

The report is particularly scathing about the treatment meted out to whistleblower Arthur Gotlieb, who had compiled an extensive dossier on privacy and other failures at the NZa.

It was only after Gotlieb killed himself that the NZa began an investigation into his claims.

The report, commissioned by health minister Edith Schippers is due to be formally presented on Tuesday.

MPs polled by Nos television said they were not surprised by the report's criticism and have called for an emergency debate with the minister.

Socialist MP Renske Leijten said the fact that there is, in effect, no independent healthcare regulator in the Netherlands puts all decisions taken about the care system 'in a dubious light'.

Theo Langejan, chairman of the NZA. (NOS/NZA/ANP)

Health regulator failed to secure IT system, ignored whistleblower

GSK China bribery probe should sound alarm for foreign firms
Obama administration to make drug companies disclose money paid to doctors
"THE BRIDGE OF SWORDS" – Sep 29, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Text Version)

“…I'm in Canada and I know it, but I will tell those listening and reading in the American audience the following: Get ready! Because there are some institutions that are yet to fall, ones that don't have integrity and that could never be helped with a bail out. Again, we tell you the biggest one is big pharma, and we told you that before. It's inevitable. If not now, then in a decade. It's inevitable and they will fight to stay alive and they will not be crossing the bridge. For on the other side of the bridge is a new way, not just for medicine but for care. Paradigms that have not yet been thought of, which don't represent any system that currently exists, will be created and developed by young minds who have concepts that the seniors don't know about. Things that don't have integrity today will fall over tomorrow. Just get ready. It's all part of what's on the other side of the bridge. And the old energy won't like it, and they will object. …”

Posted by Cempaka at Monday, September 01, 2014 0 comments
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Saturday, July 26, 2014

Chicken factories inspected by FSA as Tesco reveals surprise spot check

Sources reveal measures being taken to clean up production, but company denies allegations of food safety failings

The Guardian, Felicity Lawrence and Andrew Wasley, 25 July 2014

Chicken offal piling up on an abattoir floor. Tesco auditors arrived unannounced
at dawn at the Llangefni plant in Wales. 

The chicken factories at the centre of revelations over food poisoning contamination were checked by Food Standards Agency inspectors on Friday, as sources reported that Tesco auditors had found failings during a surprise middle-of-the-night inspection at an abattoir in Wales.

This week's Guardian investigation prompted emergency reviews by three of the UK's leading supermarkets, and the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, intervened on Thursday to demand that the FSA investigate more thoroughly, just hours after the agency had said it was content that correct procedures had been followed.

Labour accused the government of presiding over a food scandal made possible because David Cameron had split responsibility for food policy between the FSA, the Department of Health, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and called on him to review the changes.

Undercover footage, photographic evidence and information from whistleblowers revealed how strict industry hygiene standards to prevent the contamination of chicken with the potentially deadly campylobacter bacterium can be flouted on the factory floor and in farms. Two-thirds of fresh chicken on sale in supermarkets is contaminated with the bug and 280,000 people a year are made sick by it.

Maria Eagle, the shadow environment secretary, said: "Chaotic changes have culminated in this bizarre situation where the health secretary has now demanded an urgent investigation the day the FSA said they were 'content' with the way the official vet at the chicken processing plant and the company had dealt with incidents.

"The prime minister should now admit he got this wrong and clarify the roles and responsibilities of each department."

The Guardian understands that Tesco auditors arrived unannounced at 4.30am last Friday at the Llangefni chicken processing site in Wales owned by the 2 Sisters group, after the Guardian had approached the retailer with a series of allegations about hygiene failings at this and another factory. The site supplies several leading supermarkets and fast food chains.

The alleged failings included repeated breakdowns that had led to feathers, guts and offal – high-risk material for the spread of campylobacter – piling up on the factory floor for hours while production continued. Sources also said water in scald tanks, through which birds pass before plucking, was not cleaned for three days. Whistleblowers and an undercover reporter said carcasses that had fallen on the floor at this site and another owned by the same company in Scunthorpe were sometimes recycled back on to the production line.

The company denied this, saying all carcasses from the floor were disposed of as waste. It also said it did not stop the slaughter line when the evisceration and defeathering blockages occurred because it had to consider the welfare of chickens waiting for slaughter. It said that the scald tank incident was isolated, had only lasted one day, and tests have confirmed that bacteria counts were acceptable.

Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer confirmed they were customers of the Welsh factory and had carried out inspections, with M&S auditors arriving unannounced last Wednesday. The Guardian understands the Scunthorpe factory has also been audited by retailers, and government inspectors arrived there on Friday.

At crisis meetings on Thursday at the Welsh plant, sources told the Guardian, senior management described a list of measures being taken to clean up the factory and change the way it had been working. They said these included bringing in several extra cleaners, slowing down production lines, ensuring production stops more promptly at night so there is sufficient time for cleaning, and stopping slaughter when breakdowns occur.

A spokesman for 2 Sisters said: "All our customers carry out regular announced and unannounced visits as per normal business operations. No risks to food safety have been raised at any time.

"We work with our customers to continuously improve the quality and safety of our products. All our factories are constantly reviewed to ensure we improve procedures and processes. We are duty-bound to refine our systems and we will continue to do this at all our sites."

Tesco said it was still investigating. "We take all allegations of this nature seriously and we are conducting additional visits to our poultry suppliers. If any issues are identified that go against our strict standards, we will work with our suppliers to resolve them." M&S and Sainsbury's confirmed they had audited the Welsh factory and found no breaches affecting food safety. M&S said it would audit again soon, and Sainsbury's said it had raised a number of areas for improvement.

A government spokesperson said: "We do not accept that the current division of responsibilities between Defra, the Department of Health and the FSA undermines our ability to protect the public. It is normal for ministers to set policy and for others to enforce it – in this case the FSA."
Posted by Cempaka at Saturday, July 26, 2014 0 comments
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Saturday, June 14, 2014

Dutch health authority accepts foreign trips from drugs firms: NRC

DutchNews.nl, Saturday 14 June 2014

Theo Langejan, chairman of the NZA.
(NOS/NZA/ANP)
The Dutch healthcare authority NZa accepts foreign travel trips from companies which do business with the organisation or which the authority supervises, the NRC said on Saturday.

The paper has carried out research into Theo Langejan’s expenses claims and concludes the NZa has broken its own guidelines on foreign travel.

Other regulators, such as the financial services authority AFM and consumer and markets authority ACM do not accept paid trips on principle, the paper says.

Drugs firms

Since 2010, Langejan has been on at least 16 trips paid for by companies and healthcare institutions. In April 2012 he spent four days in a hotel on the French Rivièra, courtesy of drugs company Pfizer. The suite where he stayed cost €700 a night, the paper says.

The NZa decides which medicines are covered by Dutch health insurance, and that includes Pfizer drugs, the NRC points out.

Accountancy and consultants PwC has funded all in trips to Singapore, Washington, South Africa and Mexico. Langejan made these trips as an ‘advisor’ to a PwC think tank but in NZa time, the NRC says.

KPMG, which did €420,000 worth of advisory work for the NZa in 2012. It also paid for Langejan to attend a KPMG European Health Summit in Brussels, even though he had no role in the programme.

The NZa’s policy is to have sponsors pay travel and hotel expenses if an NZa official is speaking at a congress. Langejan’s predecessor Frank de Grave distanced the organisation from this policy.

The NZa said in a reaction that none of the trips the NRC has written about break the NZa’s internal rules.
Related Articles:
Whistleblowing heart doctor who aired hospital safety fears wins tribunal case

GSK China bribery probe should sound alarm for foreign firms
Obama administration to make drug companies disclose money paid to doctors
"THE BRIDGE OF SWORDS" – Sep 29, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Text Version)

“…I'm in Canada and I know it, but I will tell those listening and reading in the American audience the following: Get ready! Because there are some institutions that are yet to fall, ones that don't have integrity and that could never be helped with a bail out. Again, we tell you the biggest one is big pharma, and we told you that before. It's inevitable. If not now, then in a decade. It's inevitable and they will fight to stay alive and they will not be crossing the bridge. For on the other side of the bridge is a new way, not just for medicine but for care. Paradigms that have not yet been thought of, which don't represent any system that currently exists, will be created and developed by young minds who have concepts that the seniors don't know about. Things that don't have integrity today will fall over tomorrow. Just get ready. It's all part of what's on the other side of the bridge. And the old energy won't like it, and they will object. …”
Posted by Cempaka at Saturday, June 14, 2014 0 comments
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Saturday, May 17, 2014

GSK China bribery probe should sound alarm for foreign firms

Want China Times, Xinhua 2014-05-17

GSK's offices in Tianjin, July 25, 2013. (Photo/XIinhua)

 The latest development in the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) China bribery saga is teaching foreign firms in China a fresh lesson on business integrity.

After more than 10 months of investigation, the case is ready to be handed over to prosecutors, authorities said Wednesday.

Police investigating the case have stated that the British drugmaker offered bribes to boost sales and inflated drug prices to allow for bribery expenses and high profits.

The probe not only revealed why some imported drugs in China are disproportionately expensive, but illustrated what happens when a company chooses to focus solely on profits instead of taking their corporate responsibility and their customers seriously.

Drugs are more than just commodities. They epitomize the social responsibility of manufacturers who work to cure diseases and relieve pain through research and development.

GSK's practices in China tainted both the company's reputation and its credibility worldwide. Mark Reilly, former head of GSK China, is believed to have pressed his sales teams to bribe hospitals, doctors and other medical institutions and organizations through various means, gaining billions in illegal revenue.

The company manipulated prices to disguise real costs. The actual cost of a box of Heptodin is 15.70 yuan (US$2.55). It is declared as 73 yuan (US$11.70) at customs and priced at 142 yuan (US$22.78) as factory price. In contrast, the drug sells at about US$2.89 in South Korea, US$4.17 in Canada and US$4.81 in the United Kingdom, according to a document acquired by Xinhua.

No matter how a company tries to disguise its practices, the truth will come out eventually.

Patients and the government had to foot the bill for these expensive drugs. The health of patients might also be at stake as some doctors had the incentive to prescribe excessive amounts to get more kickbacks.

GSK's practices eroded its corporate integrity and could cause irreparable damage to the company in China and elsewhere. The case is a warning to other multinationals in China that ethics matter. Increasingly attractive to foreign investors, more and more companies see China as their most important market.

These investors should learn to respect the Chinese market, at the very least by providing quality products at reasonable prices, abandoning discrimination and honoring their due corporate responsibilities.

For those profiteers, the market will eventually make its own choice.
Related Articles:

GlaxoSmithKline settles healthcare fraud case for $3 billion
Glaxo whistleblower goes public with shocking details of bribery, marketing fraud and other pharma crimes

 Pfizer executives cashed in shares weeks before bid for AstraZeneca - New
Pfizer fined for paying bribes in E. Europe, China
"THE BRIDGE OF SWORDS" – Sep 29, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Text Version)

“…I'm in Canada and I know it, but I will tell those listening and reading in the American audience the following: Get ready! Because there are some institutions that are yet to fall, ones that don't have integrity and that could never be helped with a bail out. Again, we tell you the biggest one is big pharma, and we told you that before. It's inevitable. If not now, then in a decade. It's inevitable and they will fight to stay alive and they will not be crossing the bridge. For on the other side of the bridge is a new way, not just for medicine but for care. Paradigms that have not yet been thought of, which don't represent any system that currently exists, will be created and developed by young minds who have concepts that the seniors don't know about. Things that don't have integrity today will fall over tomorrow. Just get ready. It's all part of what's on the other side of the bridge. And the old energy won't like it, and they will object. …”
Posted by Cempaka at Saturday, May 17, 2014 0 comments
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