Netanyahu appeals to Red Cross to aid hostages in Gaza – DW – 08/04/2025
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
14 hours ago
- DW
Netanyahu appeals to Red Cross to aid hostages in Gaza – DW – 08/04/2025
If Hamas grants access, Red Cross doctors could enter the area where Israeli hostages are held to provide medical care. The development follows the release of harrowing videos showing emaciated captives. However, Hamas says medical access depends on the opening of humanitarian corridors across the entire Gaza Strip. DW speaks with Sarah Davies from the ICRC about the proposed operation.
DW
18 hours ago
- DW
Why do African elites seek medical treatment abroad? – DW – 08/04/2025
The deaths of former presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Edgar Lungu in foreign medical facilities have again sparked debate on whether African leaders trust their countries' healthcare systems. Choosing where to seek medical help is a deeply private decision. But the numerous occasions African leaders have sought treatment abroad have thrown the spotlight on local healthcare investment. To a large extent, leaders are responsible for the development of proper health care for the citizens of their countries. The deaths of former leaders Muhammadu Buhariand Edgar Lungu in foreign medical facilities have not calmed accusations that African leaders neglect public health systems in their own countries. "The state of health care in Nigeriais deeply concerning. The biggest problem is infrastructure. There are no drugs and functional medical equipment," Jamila Atiku, a researcher on public health in Nigeria, told DW. Reasons for medical tourism include: lack of specialized treatment available locally, poorly equipped hospitals, and security fears for politicians. Another factor, according to Zimbabwean health rights advocate Chamunorwa Mashoko, is an over-reliance on foreign aid. "Among African countries, over 32 out of 54 countries are not allocating significant budgets to health. This is motivated by overdependency on donor aid," he told DW. "Africa is failing to realize that foreign funding in health is just for diplomacy. Those assisting us with all that aid, it is really nothing to do with our health challenges," Mashoko added. African countries receive in excess of $60 billion (€52 billion) in health funding, representing just a fraction of the total health financing needed for the continent. Under the 2001 Abuja Declaration, African Union (AU) member states committed to end the continent's health financing crisis by pledging to allocate 15% of their annual national budgets to healthcare. But over two decades later, only three countries, Rwanda, Botswana, and Cape Verde, have consistently met or exceeded the target. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over 30 AU member states allocate less than 10% of their budget to health, with some allocating as little as 5-7%. "Nigeria has been fluctuating between 4-6% of the annual budget," said Atiku, adding that politicians are only concerned about other infrastructure development projects like roads. "Doctors and health care professionals are always going on strike because they are underpaid," she said. Inadequate public financing of health has resulted in poorly run, underperforming health systems across many African countries. "Over reliance on external funding is highly unsustainable and inconsistent with achieving Universal Health Coverage," said Itai Rusike, of the Zimbabwe-based Community Working Group on Health. "The Abuja target of 15% allocation to health has remained an elusive target. It is now outdated given the population increase, huge disease burden and the levels of neglect of infrastructure and health worker retention," Rusike added. A chronic lack of specialized treatment and facilities is driving many African patients to seek medical treatment abroad. The sectors affected include oncology, cardiology, neurology, orthopedics, organ transplants, fertility, and pediatrics for the management of rare genetic disorders. Over 300,000 Africans travel to India annually for medical services, spending more than $2 billion each year. India is said to be generating more than $6 billion each year from medical tourism. Projections show the Asian country could get $13 billion in medical tourism by 2026 under the "Heal in India" initiative. According to the African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, Nigerians are estimated to spend $1 billion annually on medical tourism. 60% of that amount is spent on oncology, orthopedics, nephrology, and cardiology. Additionally, the figure represents almost 20% of the annual public health expenditure that covers the salaries of health workers. An estimated 5,000 Nigerians fly out of the country monthly for medical treatment, with large numbers traveling to India. Some African health authorities argue they are doing their best to improve healthcare for their countries. "There is room for improvement to fund the health sector. We are targeting to ensure by 2027 at least 17,000 primary health care facilities are functional in Nigeria," Nigeria's Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, told DW. "There is not a health system in the world that is 100%. We believe we are headed in the right direction in implementing solutions." Health experts say African governments need to build modern health facilities to offer services currently being outsourced abroad. "Looking up to politicians will not work. Communities need to come together and pull resources to create health care systems that work for them," health rights advocate Chamunorwa Mashoko told DW. In 2016, the continental lender Afreximbank launched a support facility to build specialized health facilities across Africa to reduce outbound medical tourism. The initial target would focus on the establishment of a center of excellence for cancer patients. Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana were identified as suitable to host the facilities. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video :
DW
3 days ago
- DW
German nursing homes see cost for care explode – DW – 08/02/2025
Long-term nursing care is becoming unaffordable in Germany. What can be done to help older people pay for their care? The cost of a stay in a nursing home has risen to an average of €3,248 ($3,760) per month, according to the German Association of Nursing Homes (vdek), an association that represents the interests of several statutory health insurance providers. This is likely to be a crippling sum for many Germans, considering that the average pension in Germany is around €1,100 per month. German Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) believes there's an urgent need for reform of long-term care insurance. "The gap between income and expenditure has now diverged dramatically. This cannot continue," she told the Funke Media Group newspapers. Statutory long-term care insurance has been part of the German social security system for 30 years, as part of a compulsory insurance policy shared by employers and employees. Currently, 3.6% of income is due for this contribution. However, long-term care insurance covers only a part of the costs. Almost one in three nursing home residents relies on welfare payments to supplement their income. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Beate Linz-Esser, the managing director of the Erikaweg senior citizens' center in Hilden, North Rhine-Westphalia, told DW there was great uncertainty among the residents in her facility. "These constantly rising care costs are a heavy burden for our residents," she said. "Then there's the constant fear of not knowing how long their own income or assets will be sufficient to cover the costs." Residents must contribute to the care costs with their income or savings. The average life expectancy is rising for Germans, currently standing at 79 years for men and 84 for women. In December 2023, around 5.7 million people were in need of care, according to the Federal Statistical Office, a number that is expected to increase by 37% by 2055 due to the aging population. Around 85% of elderly people are cared for at home by relatives and outpatient care assistants. The nursing care insurance fund pays them between €350 and €990, depending on the level of care required. However, many people in need of care live in nursing homes, where costs have been rising sharply for years. Children are only required to contribute to their parents' care costs if their annual gross income exceeds €100,000. This does not apply to most people, as the average annual income in Germany is around €55,000. Back in 2018, care home residents had to pay only €1,772 a month. Health care economist Heinz Rothgang said the increase can be explained primarily by two factors: "For a long time, nursing was a poorly paid profession. But over the past 10 years, wages in nursing have risen more sharply than in the rest of the economy; by roughly double," he told DW. Added to this is an increase in the number of nursing staff in care homes. Care home residents have to pay not only for care, room and board, but also for maintenance and nursing training. Of the €3,248 in nursing care costs, this accounts for €1,488. And all these costs continue to rise. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Linz-Esser is particularly annoyed that almost half of the monthly fee goes into training and maintenance. "It is unacceptable that the residents have to pay for the training of nursing staff," she said. "And the investment costs — in hospitals, the state or federal government covers that. Our residents have to pay for that, too." Over the years, however, the out-of-pocket costs that those in need of care have to pay have decreased, making stays in a nursing home gradually less expensive for the individual resident. But the system is on the verge of collapse. Health Minister Warken wants to set up a reform commission to come up with a plan. This year and next, the federal government will pay €2 billion into the long-term care insurance. But taxpayers' money will only help in the short term. Rothgang has two proposals for a fundamental reform: "One option is to introduce tax revenue into the system, federal subsidies like those already found in pension and health insurance," he said. "A second possibility would be to get people to pay more, especially those with higher incomes. One could say that all income would be subject to contributions, including capital or rental income, for example," he added. The Federal Audit Office is also sounding the alarm, predicting a financial shortfall for the current system of over €12 billion by view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoWhile you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
