World health forum
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External pressures have combined to erode the practice of India's traditional medical systems to such an extent that they are in danger of becoming extinct. A better balanced national health policy could go a long way towards reversing this trend.
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A distance learning programme for medical officers and their assistants at the district level has produced some valuable lessons for future activities in continuing education. Besides correspondence and study materials, face-to-face contact between students and their tutors is a particularly important ingredient, as it provides the guidance, flexibility and motivation that are essential for an effective programme.
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In Yemen, where both population increase and maternal mortality are exceptionally high, a strategy for safe motherhood has been adopted. The authors outline the obstacles to progress and suggest ways in which the aims of the strategy might be realized, with particular reference to complete reorganization of the services of family planning and maternal and child health care.