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How Health and Education Pay the Price for Self- Dealing in Equatorial Guinea. Summary. The president of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, once described the discovery of oil in the 1. Central African nation as “manna from heaven,” the Biblical life- saving bread that God sent Israelites as they wandered in the desert. Ravaged by almost six centuries of colonialism followed by an eleven- year brutal dictatorship, the country was one of the world’s poorest and most poorly governed in 1.
Obiang deposed his uncle and took power. The discovery of oil in 1. Equatorial Guinea, and it did, in many ways. Before the discovery of oil the country’s total income was US$1. Within the next decade per capita gross domestic product (GDP) rose significantly, comparable to that of many industrialized nations—peaking in 2. However, oil production has been in decline since 2. Equatorial Guinea’s mismanagement of its oil wealth has contributed to chronic underfunding of its public health and education systems in violation of its human rights obligations.
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Suddenly the small country of about one million people occupying 2. Obiang raised expectations, repeatedly saying he would prioritize health services and education, but budgetary allocations to health and education have in fact been dismal: in 2.
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International Monetary Fund (IMF). Forty- five other countries in Equatorial Guinea’s per capita GDP range spent at least four times as much on health and education during the same period. Instead the country invested heavily in large- scale infrastructure projects, which comprised 8. IMF and World Bank have repeatedly criticized. Equatorial Guinea is one the smallest countries in Africa, with a population of around 1 million and a total landmass of just over 2. Obiang, the world’s longest- serving president, justifies the huge investment in infrastructure as part of a strategy to lay the groundwork for a modern economy. Undoubtedly this investment has improved the country’s transportation infrastructure, which includes a network of more than 2,0.
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But, according to the IMF, such an approach “contribut[es] to low provisions for health and education service delivery.” It also found that “costs and wastage have been high” for infrastructure projects, “because of limitations in oversight and pressure for prestige projects.”This report shows how the government of Equatorial Guinea has for two decades paved the way for this reality, squandering the promise afforded by its discovery of oil by grossly underspending on social welfare and overspending on wasteful and corruption- riddled infrastructure projects. In the process, it has not fulfilled its human rights obligations to progressively realize the right to affordable and decent health care and education for its people. The report describes how, though upper middle- income on paper, Equatorial Guinea faces severe challenges that commonly affect low- income countries, especially in health and education.
It documents how companies, fully or partially owned by the president, members of his family, or senior government officials, have been awarded large public contracts. In some cases, businesspeople allege that they were encouraged by government officials to submit inflated contracts so that the officials could collect considerable kickbacks. In addition, this research adds to a significant body of work on corruption in Equatorial Guinea, including numerous international investigations that have uncovered evidence of high- level corruption. A 2. 00. 4 United States Senate investigation into Riggs Bank, a Washington, DC- based commercial bank, for example, revealed direct transfers of millions of dollars from accounts holding the country’s oil wealth into accounts believed to be controlled by the president. Money- laundering investigations into the president’s eldest son, who was appointed vice president in June 2. United States and €1. US$1. 89 million at current exchange rate) in France.
The French prosecutor alleged that €1. Equatorial Guinea’s public treasury to Teodorin’s personal accounts, part of which funded his French spending spree. There is an ongoing trial in Spain based on evidence that senior government officials purchased mansions in the country with funds transferred from the Riggs Bank oil account.
In Italy, the financial police, when investigating one of the largest construction companies operating in the country, found millions of dollars linked to a network of international bank accounts owned by the president and his son. All of this contributes to the government’s woeful underinvestment in health and education, at great human cost. Neglecting the Right to Health.
With the discovery of oil, Equatorial Guinea had a great opportunity to improve healthcare by investing in the provision of potable water, adequate sanitation, infection control, and other key determinants of health, as well as in the strengthening of its public healthcare system. For two decades it has largely failed to seize this chance due to underinvestment in the social sector, when compared to other countries in its income bracket, and misspending on capital projects, such as the sophisticated new La Paz hospitals in Malabo and Bata that appear to be almost exclusively for the benefit of elites—rather than on primary healthcare that benefits most citizens. While a lack of data makes it hard to fully assess Equatorial Guinea’s performance on key health indicators, available data suggest that despite having far superior resources compared to other countries in the region, there has been little progress. For example: Equatorial Guinea ranks 1. United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Index, a measure of social and economic development. Its score is similar to those of Ghana and Zambia, despite boasting a per capita income that is more than five times as high. More than half of Equatorial Guinea’s population lacks access to safe drinking water in the vicinity, a rate that has not changed since 1.
Vaccination rates for children have fallen dramatically since the late 1. For example, the reported rate for tuberculosis vaccination for newborns and infants was 9.
Additionally, a 2. The World Bank estimates that 6.
Maternal mortality is one health indicator on which Equatorial Guinea has apparently made progress at a greater rate than most other countries in the region, with such deaths down from 1,0. United Nations. Despite being considered an upper middle- income country, Equatorial Guinea’s healthcare system continues to suffer from many of the ailments that typically afflict healthcare systems in low- income countries: inadequate staffing, long waiting times, stock- outs of basic medications and medical supplies, and frequent misdiagnoses. Doctors, nurses and patients told Human Rights Watch that Malabo General Hospital required out- of- pocket payment up front for any service, and that those who are unable to pay upfront are regularly turned away. If people [in critical condition] don’t have money, they die,” a doctor who worked in the General Hospital in Bata said. With the limited funds allocated to the health sector, the government has heavily invested La Paz, the two modern hospitals in Malabo and Bata staffed largely by foreigners.
Both hospitals are well- equipped and charge fees that are well beyond what ordinary Equatoguineans can afford to pay. Neglecting the Right to Education. Government neglect of education is reflected in the poor condition of facilities and quality of services, as well as outcomes that frequently lag behind regional averages and, in some cases, are even worse than the situation prior to the oil boom. For example: In 2. Half of children who begin primary school never complete it, and less than one- quarter who do go on to middle school. Late starts and high repetition rates mean that the ages in any given class can vary widely. In 2. 01. 2 only 5.
Quackwatch - Wikipedia. Quackwatch is a United States- based network of people[1] founded by Stephen Barrett, which aims to "combat health- related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" and to focus on "quackery- related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere".[2][3] Since 1. The site contains articles and other information criticizing many forms of alternative medicine.[5][6][7]Quackwatch cites peer- reviewed journal articles and has received several awards.[8][9] The site has been developed with the assistance of a worldwide network of volunteers and expert advisors.[1. It has received positive recognition and recommendations from mainstream organizations and sources. It has been recognized in the media, which cite quackwatch. The success of Quackwatch has generated the creation of additional affiliated websites; [1. History[edit]Quackwatch.
Quackwatch logo. Formation. LVCAHF)1. 97. 0 (incorporated)2. Founder. Stephen Barrett. Extinction. 19. 70 (the original association)2. Type. Unincorporated association (1. Corporation (1. 97.
Network of people (2. Purpose"Combat health- related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" and focus on "quackery- related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere"Location. Official language.
English, French, Portuguese. Chairman. Stephen Barrett. Watch Fireproof Putlocker#. Affiliations. National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF)Websitewww. Formerly called. Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud (LVCAHF; 1.
Quackwatch, Inc. (1. Barrett founded the Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud (LVCAHF) in 1.
Pennsylvania in 1. In 1. 99. 6, the corporation began the website quackwatch. Quackwatch, Inc. in 1. The Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation was dissolved after Barrett moved to North Carolina in 2. Quackwatch is closely affiliated with the National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF),[5] of which it was a co- founder.[1.
Mission and scope[edit]Quackwatch is overseen by Barrett, its owner, with input from advisors and help from volunteers, including a number of medical professionals.[1. In 2. 00. 3, 1. 50 scientific and technical advisors: 6. Quackwatch.[1. 6] Since that time, many more have volunteered, but advisor names are no longer listed.[1. The site has recruited volunteers to report on various topics of questionable health practice.[1. Many credible professionals have agreed to be involved on the site in their fields of expertise.[1. Quackwatch describes its mission as follows.. Quackwatch states that there are no salaried employees, and a total cost of operating all of Quackwatch's sites is approximately $7,0.
It is funded mainly by small individual donations, commissions from sales on other sites to which they refer, profits from the sale of publications, and self- funding by Barrett. The stated income is also derived from usage of sponsored links.[3] The site focuses on combating health- related frauds, myths, fads, and fallacies that is hard to find elsewhere.[1.
Site content[edit]The Quackwatch website contains essays and white papers, written by Barrett and other writers, intended for the non- specialist consumer. The articles discuss health- related products, treatments, enterprises, and providers that Quackwatch deems to be misleading, fraudulent, and/or ineffective. Also included are links to article sources and both internal and external resources for further study. The site is especially critical of products, services, and theories that it considers questionable, dubious, and/or dangerous, including: [1. The website also criticizes some practices, such as caloric restriction and the Dean Ornish program, because they are considered to be too difficult for many people to follow, not because they are ineffective; [3.
It also argues against resveratrol, which it deems to have inadequate research backing.[3. Watch Elite Dailymotion. The website provides information about specific people who perform, market, and advocate therapies it considers dubious, including in many cases details of convictions for past marketing fraud. It maintains lists of sources, individuals, and groups it considers questionable and non- recommendable.[3.
Its lists include two- time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling (whose claims about mega- doses of vitamin C are criticized),[3. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM),[4.
Andrew Weil.[4. 1]Related and subsidiary sites[edit]The Quackwatch site is part of a network of related sites,[1. Homeowatch (on homeopathy),[4. Credential Watch (devoted to exposing degree mills),[4. Chirobase (specifically devoted to chiropractic),[4. MLM Watch (conceived as a skeptic’s guide to multi- level marketing),[1. Quackwatch. org's articles are reviewed by advisors upon request.[3] The site is developed with the assistance from a worldwide network of volunteers and expert advisors.[1. Many of its articles cite peer- reviewed research[1.
The site's search engine helps retrieve specific articles.[4. A review in Running & Fit. News stated the site "also provides links to hundreds of trusted health sites."[4. Naturowatch is a subsidiary site of Quackwatch[4. The site is operated by Barrett and Kimball C.
Atwood IV, an anesthesiologist by profession, who has become a vocal critic of alternative medicine.[5. The site is available in French[5.
Portuguese,[5. 3] and formerly in German,[5. Influence[edit]Some sources that mention Stephen Barrett's Quackwatch as a useful source for consumer information include website reviews,[6][1. The Lancet[6. 7] and some libraries.[6. Mention in media, reviews, and journals[edit]Quackwatch has been mentioned in the media, reviews and various journals, as well as receiving several awards and honors.[8][9][1. It is consistently praised as a top source for screening medical information on the web.[9] In 1.
Quackwatch was recognized by the Journal of the American Medical Association as one of nine "select sites that provide reliable health information and resources."[7. It was also listed as one of three medical sites in U.
S. News & World Report's "Best of the Web" in 1. A website review by Forbes magazine stated: Dr. Stephen Barrett, a psychiatrist, seeks to expose unproven medical treatments and possible unsafe practices through his homegrown but well- organized site. Mostly attacking alternative medicines, homeopathy and chiropractors, the tone here can be rather harsh. However, the lists of sources of health advice to avoid, including books, specific doctors and organizations, are great for the uninformed.
Barrett received an FDA Commissioner's Special Citation Award for fighting nutrition quackery in 1. BEST: Frequently updated, but also archives of relevant articles that date back at least four years. WORST: Lists some specific doctors and organizations without explaining the reason for their selection.[5. Citations by journalists[edit]Quackwatch has also been cited or mentioned by journalists in reports on therapeutic touch, Vitamin O, Almon Glenn Braswell's baldness treatments, dietary supplements, Robert Barefoot's coral calcium claims, William C. Rader's "stem cell" therapy, noni juice, shark cartilage, and infomercials.[7. The site's opinion on a US government report on complementary medicine was mentioned in a news report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.[7.
Sources that mention quackwatch. United States Department of Agriculture, the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, The Lancet, the Journal of Marketing Education, the Medical Journal of Australia, the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the U.
S. Department of Health & Human Services, the U. S. National Institutes of Health, the Skeptic’s Dictionary, and the Diet Channel.[7.
Websites of libraries across the United States of America, include links to Quackwatch as a source for consumer information.[8. In addition, several nutrition associations link to Quackwatch.[8. An article in PC World listed it as one of three websites for finding the truth about Internet rumors,[8.