The year 2023 was filled with news stories that grabbed our attention and changed the world. As we enter into 2024, here is a list of four healthcare headlines that made the news:
1. Various Hospital Strikes
The healthcare industry faced its share of strikes nationwide, as employees fought for better pay, staffing increases, and safety measures for patients. According to a labor action tracker from Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, there has been 48 strikes in the healthcare and social assistance sector to date. The nation’s largest healthcare strike took place at Kaiser Permanente when 75,000 employees from various facilities walked off the job in October.
2. Medical Breakthroughs
The US Food and Drug Administration approved two gene therapies to treat patients with Sickle Cell Disease. Sickle Cell is a painful blood disorder that affects approximately 100,000 Americans, especially African Americans. The milestone treatment is said to repair the gene that is responsible for the disease. Other treatments approved by the FDA include treatment for post-partum depression, RSV, and improvements with Alzheimer’s disease to name a few.
3. Public Health Crisis Officially Ends
On May 11, 2023, three years after Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the Public Health Emergency. While Covid-19 still remains a public health threat, improvements continue to be made and treatments will still be made available.
4. Demand for Weight Loss Drugs
The diabetes drug Ozempic garnered attention this year with celebrities and influencers alike, praising its weight loss effects. The increased demand has also lead to shortages as well as knockoffs on the market. The FDA recently seized thousands of units of counterfeit Ozempic in an ongoing investigation.
What is your most memorable healthcare story of 2023? Leave a comment!
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