Health Corruption

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Health corruption is hidden, but can happen anywhere from the smallest, remote clinic to the billion dollar health systems, from low income countries to the richest places in the world. Tim Mackey, Director of Global Health at University of California San Diego explains the impact it has on patients and how it can be challenged. We’ve all heard of the term “a broken heart” to describe the terrible sadness we feel after the loss of a loved one. Until recently it’s been thought of as just a metaphor, but now doctors think the heart can stop beating as a result of an emotional event. Medically it’s not the same as a heart attack, but it can be very serious. Mark Porter reports on what’s called Takotsubo syndrome. People with schizophrenia can find that the condition affects their memory and concentration. Now Dr Natasza Orlov at the Institute of Psychiatry in London has been trialling a technique called transcranial direct current stimulation in which she puts a mild electric current put through the brain. Claudia Hammond talks to her and a patient and finds out that it can bring about improvements in memory for day to day activities. (Photo: Getty Images)