ABSTRACT
Shanghai and Saint Petersburg are sister cities. Shanghai was the very first sister city of Saint Petersburg in China. The cities are linked by long-term fruitful humanitarian and economic ties. Economic cooperation between the two cities has been and remains one of the priorities of interaction for the development of cities. Saint Petersburg — Shanghai economic cooperation has great potential. The level of cooperation on the range of economic and other issues is constantly expanding, the demand for legal assistance is also increasing, respectively. Therefore, the establishment of the Center of Legal Services Saint Petersburg — Shanghai is of great importance. This Center will be committed to the development and prosperity of the two cities, expanding mutually beneficial trade, economic and investment cooperation, broadening and deepening cooperation ties in various economic sectors, consolidation of legal services resources and establishment of a mechanism for communication and coordination between government departments and enterprises of the two cities, conducting specialized Webinars dedicated to the establishment of the Center of Legal Services Saint Petersburg — Shanghai and various legal topics, publishing a white paper, legal branding, successful holding of the Forum on the legal services of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, strengthening the docking of high-quality projects, creating a new model of economic and trade cooperation, consolidation of the foundation for Sino-Russian economic and trade cooperation, creation of an integrated single digital platform for the exchange of information;information exchange for further discussion of issues of cooperation in such areas of mutual interest as legal control by legislative bodies, prevention and control during the pandemic, trade and economic development and humanitarian exchanges for enterprises of Russia and China, in order to give impetus to the further development of relations between Saint Petersburg and Shanghai as sister cities. © 2023 The Author(s).
ABSTRACT
Shanghai and Saint Petersburg are sister cities. Shanghai was the very first sister city of Saint Petersburg in China. The cities are linked by long-term fruitful humanitarian and economic ties. Economic cooperation between the two cities has been and remains one of the priorities of interaction for the development of cities. Saint Petersburg - Shanghai economic coopera-tion has great potential. The level of cooperation on the range of economic and other issues is constantly expanding, the demand for legal assistance is also increasing, respectively. There-fore, the establishment of the Center of Legal Services Saint Petersburg - Shanghai is of great importance. This Center will be committed to the development and prosperity of the two cit-ies, expanding mutually beneficial trade, economic and investment cooperation, broadening and deepening cooperation ties in various economic sectors, consolidation of legal services resources and establishment of a mechanism for communication and coordination between government departments and enterprises of the two cities, conducting specialized Webinars dedicated to the establishment of the Center of Legal Services Saint Petersburg - Shanghai and various legal topics, publishing a white paper, legal branding, successful holding of the Forum on the legal services of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, strengthening the docking of high-quality projects, creating a new model of economic and trade cooperation, consolidation of the foundation for Sino-Russian economic and trade cooperation, creation of an integrated single digital platform for the exchange of information;information exchange for further discussion of issues of cooperation in such areas of mutual interest as legal con-trol by legislative bodies, prevention and control during the pandemic, trade and economic development and humanitarian exchanges for enterprises of Russia and China, in order to give impetus to the further development of relations between Saint Petersburg and Shanghai as sister cities
ABSTRACT
Objectives: One-fifth of the world's population lives in eight countries that constitute the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). There is very little coordination among SAARC countries regarding the harmonization of pharmaceutical regulations and medicines safety. Pakistan, India and Bangladesh have experienced medicine-related tragedies where many patients have died. This study aims to examine current pharmacovigilance activity in the SAARC region to improve pharmacovigilance practices and to make recommendations for building a platform for collaboration to improve the safety monitoring of medicines in the region. The current review utilized secondary data. We reviewed the official websites of all SAARC countries' national regulatory authorities for pharmacovigilance-related information. A data set with eleven pharmacovigilance indicators were gathered and synthesized. Key Findings: All eight SAARC member countries have pharmacovigilance systems with full membership in the WHO Program for International Drug Monitoring. Out of eleven pharmacovigilance indicators, India met ten;Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan nine;Maldives and Afghanistan seven;Nepal and Sri Lanka five. The SAARC countries do not have a harmonized pharmacovigilance system or centralized database. Due to positioning in different WHO regions, it is proposed to create a consortium on medicine safety among SAARC countries like other regional organizations of the world to strengthen the pharmacovigilance systems and harmonize the pharmacovigilance practices among member countries. Summary: To improve the quality of medicines and to strengthen regional medicine safety, the SAARC secretariat should consider forming a technical group of all member countries' regulatory authorities.Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: During the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, medical students at The George Washington University School of Medicine •Health Sciences (GWU SMHS) sought to address the rapid dissemination of misinformation by creating DC COVID Connect (DCC), a reliable web-based resource specific to the Washington, D.C Metropolitan area. With the emphasis on clinical public health in the GW SMHS M.D. Program curriculum, these students were well-equipped to consolidate a comprehensive body of information to help members of all ages in the local community navigate all aspects of their lives during the pandemic. Methods: The online resource was originally a 130-page html document. Sections of the document include but are not limited to: age-group specific health information about COVID-19, local news updates in the DMV pertaining to COVID19, information for at-risk populations: individuals experiencing homelessness, incarceration, and disability, peer-reviewed research, services (housing, legal services, etc). To better disseminate these resources, our team transformed the document into a website, available in 12 different languages.The DCC team is now in the process of launching a mobile application with a database connected to the website for a more user-friendly interface for the pediatric population. The app prioritized: certain age-appropriate sections relating to emerging vaccine guidelines for younger populations, educational resources, and sexual and reproductive health topics. Results: The DCC team began with 60 fourth-year medical students and grew to include over 100 medical students with guidance from physician/resident mentors. DCC has been recognized as a trusted resource by the community and has been utilized by D.C. Medicaid, the Black Coalition Against COVID, “El Tiempo Latino”, and providers at local hospitals and clinics including Children's National Medical Center (CNMC). In the past several months, we have collaborated with the providers at CNMC and plan to launch the app in August 2021. QR code badges will be used to facilitate distribution among patients and families. Our Google Analytics report showed that DCC had a total of 13,332 users since the launch in July 2020. With additional data regarding user demographics from QR code tracking and surveys, we hope to utilize this information to increase accessibility of our resource. Conclusion: The framework of the DCC app provides the much needed infrastructure that is lacking in the DC community by keeping pace with the breadth of information and resources that are being made available to our pediatric population. The impact of the pandemic will linger for years to come and our resource will continue to evolve and repurpose the work that we do to reflect such changes.
ABSTRACT
Background: Medical Legal Partnerships (MLPs) help address the social determinants of health or health-harming legal needs impacting the health and wellbeing of vulnerable pediatric patients and families. Methods: To examine the impact of COVID-19 on MLPs and the children and families they serve, we conducted 96 semi-structured interviews with 18 clients and 78 MLP staff including legal aid staff, attorneys, health and social workers, and health administrators from programs in 10 states representing 5 U.S. regions. Six of these MLPs have a children's hospital as a medical partner. Interviews were collected between March and November 2020, capturing the initial and long-term impact of COVID-19. Results: Initially, MLP partner clinics had reduced patient volumes in response to the pandemic resulting in decreased MLP referrals. Later in the pandemic, however, MLP's saw an increase in demand for assistance with employment, housing, education, food insecurity and access to healthcare. Of 81 interviews with statements related to the impact of COVID 19 on clients, over half identified employment issues due to COVID exposure and increased evictions as problems for their patient-clients. Nearly one third of the 81 interviews discussed how children's educational needs were impacted by COVID. They cited families experiencing difficulties accessing educational resources at home, trouble receiving IEP services, and behavioral problems related to the transition to non-traditional education. MLPs also noted increased food insecurity, inequities in internet access and subsequent educational outcomes, and an increased time to resolve issues due to closed schools and courts. Furthermore, several MLP sites were challenged with the shift to remote work. No longer being at the clinical site made it more difficult to coordinate referral intake and consults with medical partners and trainings had to become virtual. Programs also noted there were fewer resources available during the pandemic to help families meet their needs. A few MLPs also experience reduced funding in their own programs which sometimes resulted in a decrease in legal personnel to provide services. Conclusion: The COVID 19 pandemic exacerbated the need for civil legal services to address social determinants of health for low-income families while simultaneously creating new barriers to resolution of those legal needs and reducing access to resources for children and their families.
ABSTRACT
Background: There are increasing numbers of immigrant children held in government custody at the US-Mexico border and across the US. Further, anti-immigrant policies and the US COVID-19 pandemic response exacerbated detention conditions under the Trump administration. Thus, there is a greater need to identify the health concerns and challenges clinicians face when caring for these children. Methods: A national cross-sectional 66- question online survey was distributed from October 2020 to January 2021 through national pediatric and migrant health listservs including the Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The reported total number of listserv members was 6200, but the degree of redundancy among these groups was not able to be assessed. Clinicians were asked about care delays, health problems encountered, and resources needed while caring for children under government custody. “Children in government custody” was defined as children (0-17 years) who currently or previously (in the past 5 years) were under the custody of the US Immigration Customs Enforcement, Customs Border Protection and/or the Office of Refugee and Resettlement. Results: Eightytwo clinicians responded and cared for children clinically. Thirty four cared for children who were in government custody. About 1/3 of this subset of respondents noted care delays while in custody and delays in establishing primary care after custody release. The two main health issues seen were a lack of routine health maintenance and traumatic exposures. Most commonly, children were behind on vaccinations and needed mental health screening. Exposure to violence was the most common traumatic exposure. Furthermore, 47% of clinicians felt that their current resources were inadequate and requested legal assistance and mental health support. Importantly, 58% of respondents were not aware of or were unsure of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention domestic refugee health guidelines for the care of migrant children and adults. Conclusion: Children who experience detention have significant healthcare needs, many of which clinicians do not feel equipped to address. The reported health complications emphasize the need for policy measures, such as those recommended by the AAP, namely, the provision of evidence-based medical evaluations, trauma-informed care, and family-centered medical homes with comprehensive primary care and embedded mental health and legal support systems. Child detention should end. If present, children should be released to ORR shelters with pediatric clinicians providing healthcare and oversite until children can be safely released to vetted legal guardians and established in medical homes. This process should be swift with improved integration of detainment and post-detainment healthcare. Clinicians can be supported with training on immigrant screening guidelines. Of note, the low response rate and inability to distinguish between ICE, CBP, and ORR on the survey limits these results. Nonetheless, these findings support further research and recommendations for policy changes to improve the health and well-being of newly-arrived immigrant children.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the global system. It has especially increased uncertainty in overseas investment and foreign trade activity of enterprises. The pandemic continues to cause economic, political and legal risks (especially compliance risk and default risk) faced by enterprises entering foreign markets and carrying out investment activities. Therefore, enterprises need to enhance their legal awareness, strengthen compliance management of overseas investment by enterprises and create a risk management system, and carry out investment activities on the premise that they comply with international rules, the legal norms of the host country and the relevant domestic laws and regulations. On this basis, governments should strengthen the rule of law concerning foreign affairs, improve related government regulations for overseas investments. According to the "Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and Vision 2035 of the People's Republic of China", China will improve its legislation on overseas investment, support enterprises to integrate into the global industrial and supply chain, improve the transnational operational capacity and level, and guide enterprises to strengthen compliance management so they can prevent and resolve overseas political, economic, and security risks. The Government of the People's Republic of China enhances friendly cooperation in the legal field and establishes working mechanisms for consultation and coordination with other countries. Much attention is paid to conducting research in the field of strengthening risk assessment methods and risk management for enterprises engaging in outward investment.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 continues to be both a major medical problem and a real ethical and forensic issue, profoundly affecting both patients and health services around the world. This pandemic has produced major changes in the provision of healthcare, especially in patients with chronic conditions. The consequence has been the deviation in some medical situations from the medical guidelines and protocols in force with forensic risks for clinicians. When the criteria of professional competence are met, the civil liability ensures a protection of the health workers. Disputes can arise when there are doubts about how the medical activity was performed in safe conditions for patients, when local care decisions were made or when there are no nationally validated guidelines. In conclusion, clarifying legal concepts on the public health crisis, developing a legislative framework and appropriate means to combat it, are important desideratum on more judicious management of a crisis situation.