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What about Brazil?
- roberto fiszman (16 February 2002)
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Paper vs. electronic
- Jorge F Trejo (16 February 2002)
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Thank you
- Samiran Nundy (17 February 2002)
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The wrong Bohr?
- David Syme (17 February 2002)
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Why not Brazil ?
- Elde Bessa Barretto (18 February 2002)
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Thank You
- Roberto S. Salinas (18 February 2002)
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Grateful hungry reader
- Reyes S. Elsa (18 February 2002)
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Consider Argentina
- Graciela Scagliotti (18 February 2002)
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Act of Enormous Influence
- Vasiliy V Vlassov (18 February 2002)
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Great Gesture
- Dr Jai B. Sharma (20 February 2002)
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A Step in the Right Direction
- Egondu, R Onyejekwe (20 February 2002)
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why mexico is not included
- marco a castillo (20 February 2002)
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Consider Turkey
- Yurtsan Atakan (20 February 2002)
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Better to use the IT
- Abdul Karim J Al-Sheikhli (20 February 2002)
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mexico
- palma m fernandez (20 February 2002)
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Please Consider Free Access for All After 6 Months
- Scott F. Slotterbeck (20 February 2002)
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Should it be developing and Developed
- Jawad A. Al-Lawati (20 February 2002)
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Thank you
- Andrew S Louka (20 February 2002)
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Thank You
- Krishna Biswas (21 February 2002)
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Bravo!
- Imran Mirza (21 February 2002)
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congratulations
- sukanto sumodinoto (23 February 2002)
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Congratulations!!!!!
- Luis Echevarria (25 February 2002)
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Well done
- Akhtar Sherin (25 February 2002)
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About the list of countries
- Ayman G. Abdul Haleem (4 March 2002)
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thank you
- manfredo turcios, tegucigalpa honduras c.a. zc 504 (5 March 2002)
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Publishers are all doing different things in providing access to their material in poor countries
- Richard Smith (5 March 2002)
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What about South Africa?
- Cecilia J Strauss (6 March 2002)
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Value of the printed word
- Valeria Frighi (15 March 2002)
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Can only do good but we need the ability to access
- Terry J Hannan (12 April 2002)
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roberto fiszman, physician rio de janeiro 20000
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Why Brazil isn't included? I believe we are "middle income"... Thanks! |
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Jorge F Trejo, Consultant, Cardiovascular Diseases Mayo Clinic Jacksonville
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Congratulations !!!!. When I was asked in your recent survey whether you should continue to offer free web access to your publications, I emphatically supported your effort. Who will pay then for the cost of the journals? I suggested that members of the medical associations that frequently publish a major medical journal (BMJ, JAMA, JACC, Circulation, Annals of Int. Med., etc.) could relinquish receiving their paper copy, and their fees then could substantially contribute to provide free web access of the corresponding journal. It is clear that there is a need of innovative alternatives to pay for those costs, short of pharmaceutical advertising. The next step is to work in the provision of making this service available in needed areas. |
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Samiran Nundy, GI Surgeon Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi
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A magnificent and deeply humanitarian gesture. More important it will be effective in improving health care standards and certainly more effective than spending millions of pounds through government grants on indigenous or collaborative projects. I am proud to be a member of the International Advisory Board. |
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David Syme, GP Killin, Perthshire
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I don't want to be unkind to any NEILS Bohr's out there but I assume that in your editorial you were referring to NILS Bohr. You can't be too impressed if you can't get his name right! (cf Petrie/Petri in a previous issue) |
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Elde Bessa Barretto, SUPSAQ
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Reinforcing other Brazilians doctors' messages, why isn't Brazil included ? Thanks
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Roberto S. Salinas, Internist and Geriatrician Centro Medico San Felilpe Av. Gregorio Escobedo 660 Torre 1 Of. 201 Jesus Maria Lima PERU
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In spite of any criticism you can receive, I believe the opportunity you are giving to physicians of poor and less developed countries to access updated and evidence based information and to translate it into a better practice and delivery of health for our patients is actually priceless. Probably this decision is one of the most important and positive things we are receiving from this phenomenom called globalisation. In a few words: Thank you. Roberto S. Salinas M.D.
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Reyes S. Elsa, Rheumatologist Police Central Hospital
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I'm a very grateful reader of every one of your publications. Every day, when I open my e-mail first page that I see it's related to bmj. I enjoy every topic and when I don't agree with your point of view I feel happy to find another position about some interesting subject. Your information is serious, universally, and now, with this opportunity to our country to access the bmj, you show your solidarity whith the needs of scientific and social information not only for physicians, but everyone interested in health, health politics and in ethics. As a Rheumatologist it's very important to know more about Internal Medicine, EBM, Infectious Diseases, Immunology, etc. and I find more than I can read in your specialist journals. Thank you again! Elsa Reyes Sanmiguel. |
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Graciela Scagliotti, MD Obstetrician Pirovano Hospital,Buenos Aires, Argentina (1425)
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We might be not considered poor because of some social indicators, but Argentina is really in crisis. Most of all, we need this kind of help that the BMJ Group is offering. Please, be kind to think about it. Population is becoming unhealthy because they came late to consult, even in our Capital City of Buenos Aires. Most of the poorest are not arriving at all. Argentina, the real country, is asking for help. |
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Vasiliy V Vlassov, director Russian Branch, Cichrane Collaboration
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Free access to BMJ PG journals is an action of enormous influence. I believe that this free access to advanced readers in poor countries will have great infuence on the development of the medical community in the world. While many other web initiatives could not support themselves last year, BMJ is developing in this very important direction. Probably, we will not be able to check the relative input of the BMJ-origin information in the world, but I believe that it will be comparable to the free access to Medline. |
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Dr Jai B. Sharma, Assos Professor in Obst & Gynae M A M College, New Delhi 110002
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The extension of free internet accesss of BMJ to most developing countries is a great & wonderful gesture which has also greatly popularised the journal in all the countries.I certainly eagerly wait for every Friday when the first thing I do is swith on my internet & get connected to The BMJ. I love to screen all articles in the journal reading the interesting articles in full. I also love to actively participate in the rapid responses to the articles of my speciality. This has made responding to articles so easy & quick. I strongly feel that journals like New England Journal Of Medicine & Lancet should also start this facility if they want to seriously compete with the BMJ in popularity. BMJ must continue this great gesture indefinitely as a great service to humanity. |
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Egondu, R Onyejekwe EARTHMAP Foundation for African HIV/AIDS & ORID, 1985 W.Henderson Road, U.A/Columbus Ohio, 43220
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Congratulations on this very bold step in providing "free Access" to the electronic versions of 23 specialist journals. Hopefully, it will motivate the enlisted country's Governments to allocate more funds toward Internet Access, indeed "universal access" to information and communications technologies in their respective countries. We do not want your noble deed to be marred. But as you can see the problem is inherent in the definition of those who qualify - fragile or lack of robust telecommunications infrastructure for harnessing this "Free Good". We encourage others to use as many media as possible to communicate this offer. Perhaps, the long awaited "Mass Movement" and "Demand" for usable Global Internet Connectivity will finally be realized. Please remain as Committed. Thanks. Dr. Egondu Rosemary Onyejekwe
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marco a castillo, phisician in private practice tuxtla gtz chiapas mx.29060
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I believe too that we are middle income,and,I shall add other reasons:Not all Mexico is cancun or acapulco.We have very poor states:Chiapas,Oaxaca,Guerrero and a few rich ones.I think, in latin america in the same country you will find many others.Why not include all latin america in the middle income,we shall appreciate that. | |||
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Yurtsan Atakan, Columnist 80630 Istanbul, Turkey
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I do not know the exact criteria for a country to be included in your list but because of the severe economic crisis that it is facing, I think Turkey should be included in the list too. |
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Abdul Karim J Al-Sheikhli, Consultant Psychiatrist, Medical Center,2 Manor Court Avenue,Nuneaten CV11 5HX,England
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Dear sir, with the developments during the last Century,I think developing countries can be helped through the supply of computers, and encourage them to use the Internet, at least to the Universities, and main Libraries, facilities of that kind will be more helpful. Best regards,
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palma m fernandez, librarian medical library/ carr tesistan km # 5. zapopan, jalisco, mexico
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why not mexico?
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Scott F. Slotterbeck Sacramento, CA 95826
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As a cancer patient educator, I am interested in presenting the latest cancer news to those affected by this most devastating disease. I certainly understand the reluctance of publishers to provide immediate, full-text access to the full content of their medical journals. I urge publishers, though, to follow the lead of the New England Journal of Medicine and permit full-text access to research papers in their journals after a six month embargo. This allows educators such as myself to 'flesh out' treatment news to patients, and yet protects the publisher. Six months is recent enough that important medical developments are still timely to patients weighing treatment options. |
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Jawad A. Al-Lawati, Head of NCD section, Ministry of Health
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The devision to poorest, poor, not so poor and rich in not a good way to allocate free access to BMJ published journals. I suggest to make it developing and develpoed countries, as many of us who work in developing countries and very little resources are allocated to important public health causes. Take for example tobacco control, where most developing countries lag behind. Jawad |
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Andrew S Louka, Research Fellow Institute of Immunology, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, NO-0027 Oslo, Norway
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Working in a devloped country, it is all too easy to take journal access for granted. Most medical doctors and scientists chose their careers because they want to help, whether immediately or through research. Access to the latest information is at least as important as access to the latest drugs. The symbolic and highly respectable action which the BMJ group has taken (and which they should perhaps advertise in national newspapers too, for greater effect), serves as a reminder to us all, that there are more ways than one (direct financial) by which we can all help our world to progress. To the publishers of other journals: please, please follow suit! To the BMJ group: thank you. |
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Krishna Biswas, Consultant Endocrinologist Kolkata,West Bengal,India,700032
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It will be very much helpful for professionals of our country. |
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Imran Mirza, Assistant Professor University of Alberta, T6M 2E7
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I can not resist myself in congratulating BMJ and its publishers for providing free access to the current and ground breaking medical literature to the helath care workers in poor countries. I hope that your vision and altruism sets an example for others. Well done. Imran Mirza, MD. |
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sukanto sumodinoto, sukanto@sby.centrin.net.id Centre for Health Service & Health Technology Research ; Jalan Indrapura 17 , Surabaya, Indonesia
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Wonderful, I have raised this opportunity before and to other journals too |
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Luis Echevarria Centro de Hematología, Av. Nuñez De Cáceres 102,Mirador Norte, Santo Domingo, D. N. Dominican Republ
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We are very grateful for the decision to let physicians from underdeveloped countries have free access to the BMJ journal. We hope that others journals will be included. Sincerely Luis Echevarria |
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Akhtar Sherin, TMO KTH peshawar Pakistan
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In response to your editorial regarding free access to the journals for developing countries , i will simply say ,well done. It was highly needed as one can only think of the problems of developing world in accessing recent data. It will help the young researchers and postgraduate students in keeping themselves abreast with the recent advances in medical sciences. |
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Ayman G. Abdul Haleem, Cardiologist Health Insurance Hospital, Cairo, Egypt
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Are all publishers commited to the same list of countries? In other words, is the list provided in your article the same for all publishers who intend to provide free access? |
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manfredo turcios, hospimed MD hospital escuela blv.suyapa, tegucigalpa honduras c.a. zc 504
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Your actions should be imitated by all medical journals----THANKS AGAIN |
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Richard Smith, Editor BMJ
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Ayman G Abdul Haleem asks what different publishers are doing in making their material available for free in poorer countries. Unfortunately it's impossible to generalise. Some publishers have done nothing. The big commercial publishers have made their material available free or at low cost to institutions (not individuals) in varying numbers of the poorest countries. Some publishers--like Biomed Central--make all of their material free to everybody everywhere, including in the rich world. So there is wide variation, and every day the position changes. Somebody--perhaps WHO--needs to produce a register that is constantly updated. Richard Smith, Editor, BMJ |
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Cecilia J Strauss, self employed Box 705, Shelly Beach, 4265, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa
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Wonderful news! What about considering South Africa? With our currency at this stage - it's very expensive and many South Africans can't afford it! (Including myself) With the current AIDS pandemic in SA - we really need to be educated, even our Government It's fine if they are in denial, but why put the country through it. Human lives are being disregarded, where pride and politics have become all important. And while politicians debate and ponder, South Africans, as many as 2 000 a day are dying like flies. Every month as many as 8 000 babies die of AIDS. The ignorance is unforgivable and a sin against humanity! Internet access is also a rare commodity. I agree with Scott F. Slotterbeck (20 February) - Please Consider Free Access for All After 6 months. This service is much needed in South Africa! Thanks again and keep up the wonderful work. |
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Valeria Frighi, Senior research fellow Diabetes Trials Unit, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford OX2 6HE
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Editor-- The laudable decision of the BMJ publishing group to extend free access to its electronic journals to over 100 of the poorest countries in the world and to provide them with free access to Clinical Evidence (1) is a major step towards greater equality in access to information. However, I would like to make the case for another, complementary, way of pursuing the same aim. Although internet use is indeed skyrocketing in developing countries, it will be years before electronic information will be easily accessible worldwide. Beside the power cuts, difficulties in accessing websites and downloading files etc, another problem are inadequate printing facilities. However valuable electronic information may be, words on a screen are difficult to read as our visual system copes badly with screenfuls of information if these cannot be printed on sheets of paper. Moreover, electronic information requires not only dedicated and functioning equipment but also dedicated time (at least until laptop and palmtop use becomes widespread, something decades away for the developing world). A printed journal instead can be taken anywhere and, very importantly, it can also be dipped into in any slither of time. Therefore, alongside the current impetus to provide widespread electronic information, an effort should be made also to provide free access to printed material. For this it is not the journals that should be called upon but the subscribers who, if not in need to keep their journals, could send them on to needier colleagues. As an example I would like to quote a small, ongoing medical information exchange scheme whereby, in a sort of "buddy system" each sender mails second hand medical journals, books, drug data sheets and copies of the British National Formulary, to a colleague in the developing world who could not otherwise afford such literature. The recipients are fairly chosen from a list of health professionals who responded to an offer made to an internet based group with an interest in the promotion of health equality worldwide (2). A similar system, albeit operating via centralized rather than individual contacts, is that adopted by several BMJ readers (3). Health professionals who cannot afford medical literature could also benefit from a "split membership/subscription" system, possible when an association membership is coupled to a journal subscription as for the British Medical Association and the BMJ and other medical association/journal partnerships: members who do not require the journal could supply an alternative recipient while retaining personal membership of the association. This scheme would rest on the generosity both of the members (paying for somebody else's journal subscription) and the association (extra administrative costs). Hopefully there should be no lack of it. Finally other quarters, pharmaceutical companies for instance, could also help, as Les Laboratoires Servier (France) and Novo Industri (Germany) did by providing 40 two-years subscriptions to the journal Diabetologia free of charge to doctors working in what then was the Eastern Bloc (4). In conclusion, there are many possible ways to achieve a fairer distribution of medico-pharmaceutical knowledge, an aspect of globalization well worth pursuing. 1) Smith R, Williamson A. BMJ journals free to the developing world. BMJ 2002; 324: 380 (16 February) 2) www.essentialdrugs.org 3) Minerva. BMJ 2001;322:1498 4) Berger M. Happy New Year-1988. Diabetologia 1988; 31: 1-2 Dr. Valeria Frighi MD
Competing interests: none |
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Terry J Hannan, Consultant Physician 2217
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I work in Eldoret kenya with the Indiana University team building CBPRs in sub-Saharan Africa where paper is an expensive and limited resource. The availablity of free online journal references is an ESSENTIAL requirement to improve health care in these countries. What is required is for governments and/or business to provide cheap (?free) online access to the knowledge resources such as the BMJ. The cost of phone line access exceeds the costs of providing basic food needs to the peoples of the 3rd world. Dr T J Hannan FRACP |
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