Sweden to compensate sterilised women
The Swedish Government is preparing to compensate thousands of women who were forcibly sterilised as part of a 40-year eugenics programme.

Black Americans adversely hit by cancer
Cancer rates are falling in the USA, but only among whites.

No pill yet for Japanese women
Japanese authorities have deferred a decision on whether to legalise the contraceptive pill.

Rich nations put children at risk
More than four million young children could be at risk because of rich nations' failure to honour family planning pledges.

Vatican warns against 'back door' abortion
The Vatican has spoken out against morning after pills at a major UN conference on population, warning they are abortion by the back door.

Polio eradication under threat
Health officials fear the worldwide effort to eradicate polio may be under threat due to waning interest from donors.

WHO launches anti-poverty drive
Gro Harlem Brundtland has pledged the World Health Organisation to a global anti-poverty drive, saying economics is at the root of health problems.

Asthma worldwide
Asthma affects up to 150 million people around the world, most of them in developed countries. But it is increasing everywhere and scientists do not really know why.

Gates gift for child vaccines
Microsoft boss Bill Gates is giving $100m to child immunisation programmes in the developing world.

Preventing childhood deaths
Eleven million children a year die because of malnutrition and preventable diseases. News Online looks at some of the main killers.

Health in Europe: an overview
The growing gap between the richest and poorest people in Europe is the major risk to health in the region, says the World Health Organisation.

Asian crisis could hit TB campaign
The Asian economic crisis could hinder a global campaign to curb the world's most deadly infectious disease - tuberculosis.

Governments ill-prepared for elderly explosion
Many countries are not prepared for the speed at which their populations will age and the health impact that will have, says the World Health Organisation.

Global cancer explosion feared
The World Health Organisation is taking action to curb an expected rise in cancer cases around the globe.

50 years of the WHO - its successes and failures
The World Health Organisation wants to eliminate several epidemic diseases, including leprosy, but its track record has been mixed. The BBC's Health Correspondent, Richard Hannaford, reports from Geneva.

World's population warning
The United Nations is warning that the population of the world will be more than six billion by next year - double what it was just four decades ago.

Why an NHS nurse is hard to find
Professional bodies have talked of a recruitment and retention crisis in NHS nurses for years, but what are the reasons behind it?

Rationing care from limited funds
Demand for NHS services has always been greater than availability, but how does the health service decide who gets which treatments?

The beds debate
Bed shortages have been blamed for the winter NHS crisis, but the debate about numbers is complex because of advancing technology.

How Labour's NHS riches will be spent
When New Labour came to power in May 1997, it made the health service one of its priorities. BBC News Online looks at where the money is going.

Waiting list drive adds to the burden
The government's drive to cut hospital waiting lists is misguided, has obstructed the NHS's ability to handle emergencies and increased waiting times, according to critics.

Health initiatives change the face of the NHS
Waiting list initiatives have played a big role in changing the way hospitals operate, according to health experts.

The New NHS: Fit for the future?
The NHS is undergoing a radical restructuring - but critics fear that without new investment the same problems will continue to blight the service.

NHS pay and staffing at a glance
BBC News Online's comprehensive guide to how many medical staff work in the NHS and how much they get paid.

Doctors dissatisfied with the NHS
The recruitment and retention crisis in doctors boils down to two factors - pay and conditions.

The crises of winters past
The NHS crisis is worse this year than other years because of nursing shortages, say managers.

Flu: An NHS nightmare
Winter can bring severe respiratory infections, and lead to patients flooding A&E departments. BBC News Online examines the potential for crisis.