Doctors for Life International Group of Companies: Preliminary (Unaudited) Financial Report for the year ended 29 February 2012

Our income varies considerably from year to year, depending on how much our donors are able to give towards our work. Sometimes a large amount of money is given for a specific project / cause, resulting in a spike in income for that particular year. Examples of this would be the building of the clinic in Zavora (Mozambique) during the 2009 and 2010 financial years and the building of the Table Mountain Orphan Centre during the 2012 financial year. total_dep_split From this graph it can be clearly seen that Operation LifeChild and Aid to Africa are our largest projects in terms of funds received and applied. Most of our donors wish to support a specific project and we take great care in allocating all donor funding according to our donors’ wishes. The General Admin consist mainly of telephone costs, bank charges and the honorariums of 12 full-time volunteers who work at head office. It often happens that the funds allocated for General Admin are used to cover shortfalls on other projects, especially for Operation LifeChild, since supporting all our orphans on a month-to-month basis can be a financial challenge. It has even happened that our volunteers have had to forfeit their honorariums in order for us to meet our commitments toward our orphan centres. life_child In terms of funding received and used, Operation LifeChild was our largest project during the 2012 financial year. We received donations specifically for the building of our Table Mountain centre, which constituted 21{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of our total spending for the year. The 76{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} spent on orphans includes food and other necessities bought for the orphans as well as wages for the caregivers who are directly responsible for caring for the day-to-day needs of our children. It also includes the cost of delivering food to our centres of which some are situated in very rural areas. A small percentage (3{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}) of donor funds intended for Operation LifeChild is used for administrative expenses which are directly related to the running of this project. These expenses include the honorarium of one dedicated volunteer at head office who coordinates this project. aid_africa During the 2012 financial year outreaches were made to Zambia, Angola and Malawi.  There have also been outreaches to remote areas within the borders of South Africa. life_place Currently this project consists of two parts: –  The LifePlace coffee shop in Durban where we reach out to prostitutes, and –  our SafeHouse where we accommodate ex-prostitutes who would like to make a fresh start in life. The LifePlace coffee shop runs on a budget of R5 000 per month, out of which we pay the rent, electricity, telephone and a honorarium for a full-time volunteer dedicated to this project.  The outreaches to the prostitutes on the streets of Durban are also financed out of this budget.]]>

Harm Reduction: More than just side effects! (press release)

  • Causing psychosis in healthy people. [1]
  • Harming the brains of teenagers. [2]
  • Increasing the risk of testicular cancer. [3]
  • Poor foetal growth. [4]
  • Suppress ion of the immune system. [5]
  • I suppose he has also not had to treat wash-out drug addicts from Switzerland like some of us have had to, where they have tried to regulate substance abuse through the medical provision of clean needles, syringes and drugs. The archaic argument that we cannot root out drug abuse by keeping it a crime is also a strange way of thinking to Doctors for Life. Since time began we have not managed to root out one single crime, but we are far from considering decriminalizing murder, rape, theft and fraud, to name but a few. Really, to use the example of Jackie Selebi’s corruption as a argument to legalize drugs is an illogical and distorted way of reasoning. Even though the article has quite a few references and appears very scientific, one is kind of left wondering what has happened to common sense. Dr van Niekerk keeps on quoting the fact that more harm is caused by legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol (90{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of all drug related deaths in the UK!) than illegal drugs, and somehow seems to miss the obvious point that having legalized them did not reduce the harm done by them. On the contrary, it appears to have increased the harm they cause. The implications of legalizing the use of drugs of abuse for the benefit of the economy of the country are vast. To mention just a few:
    • Politoxemia, the simultaneous addiction to different drugs.
    • The financial implication of increased accidents in the workplace.
    • An increase in hours off work.
    • Medical expenses for treating the complications of substance abuse.
    It also includes the expense of establishing an infrastructure of medical personal to oversee the handing out of these drugs (and that in a country where our health system is already overloaded). DFL finds the reasoning justifying decriminalization immature. Dr. van Niekerk also quotes the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, but does not mention the UNODC’s 52nd session of the Annual Commission on Narcotic Drugs March 2009, to which South Africa is a co-signatory. When some parties tried to slip in a Harm Reduction policy (such as Dr. van Niekerk is supporting), Sweden, Russia, Japan, USA, Colombia, Sri Lanka and Cuba refused to sign the document unless the reference to harm reduction was removed. Experiences of a few countries that have moved in the direction of decriminalisation should also be taken note of: The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in 1975 that the state could not interfere with an adult’s possession of marijuana for personal consumption in the home. Although the ruling was limited to persons 19 and over, a 1988 University of Alaska study, the state’s 12 to 17-yearolds used marijuana at more than twice the national average for their age group. Alaska’s residents voted in 1990 to re-criminalize the possession of marijuana, demonstrating their belief that increased use was too high a price to pay In Holland the Dutch government started closing down a third of their coffee shops because they found that many of the coffee shops had become a legal outlet for the illegal drug trade and after 15 years of legalised marijuana use, they were unable to separate the illegal and crime related activities from the legal trade. With the South African Police Force struggling to effectively police crime in the country, how do we think we ever are going to better the Dutch! The U.K. first reclassified marijuana as a less harmful Class C drug, but in January 2009 moved it back to a more dangerous Class B drug. Doctors For Life International is all in favour of doing more regarding the rehabilitation of drug addicts. But we do feel that having a prison sentence as an alternative to being sent for rehabilitation is a powerful incentive for many substance abusers to try and get help. To this end we would argue for more government funding to established rehabilitation units, and for NGO’s, who to a large extent have taken over the responsibility of the government in this regard. Doctors for Life International, represents more than 1800 medical doctors and specialists, three-quarters of whom practice in South Africa. Since 1991 DFL has been actively promoting sound science in the medical profession and health care that is safe and efficient for all South Africans. For more information visit: https://doctorsforlife.co.za References: [1] Causing psychosis in healthy people: Dr Theresa Moore, Theresa HM Moore MSc, Dr Stanley Zammit PhD, Anne Lingford-Hughes PhD, Thomas RE Barnes DSc, Peter B Jones PhD, Margaret Burke MSc, Glyn Lewis PhD Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: a systematic review. University of Bristol, Institute of Psychiatry in Cardiff University, Wales. The Lancet, Volume 370, Issue 9584, Pages 319 – 328, 28 July 2007 [2] Harming the brains of teenagers: Manzar Ashtari, Ph.D: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Staci A. Gruber:Harvard Medical School http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/11/marijuana-study/ [3] Increased risk of testicular cancer: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center : Stephen Schwartz Association of Marijuana Use and the Incidence of Testicular Germ Cell Tumours http://www.fhcrc.org/about/ne/news/2009/02/09/marijuana.html Kristen Woodward, 206-667-5095 or [email protected] [4] Poor foetal growth: Hanan El Marroun, Henning Tiemeier, Eric A.P. Steegers, Vincent W.V. Jaddoe, Albert Hofman, Frank C. Verhulst, Wim van den Brink, Anja C. Huizink. Intrauterine Cannabis Exposure Affects Fetal Growth Trajectories: The Generation R Study Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry December 2009 (Vol. 48, Issue 12, Pages 1173-1181) [5] Suppression of the immune system: Venkatesh L. Hegde, Mitzi Nagarkatti and Prakash S. Nagarkatti. Cannabinoid receptor activation leads to massive mobilization of myeloid-derived suppressor cells with potent immunosuppressive properties. European Journal of Immunology, 2010; 40 (12): 3358-3371 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201040667]]>

    Planned Parenthood Defeated: Abortion is not a Universal Human Right in UN Summit Document (press release)

    plannedparenthoodThe International Planned Parenthood Federation, the world’s largest abortion promoter has been defeated in its efforts to hijack the millennium development goals, in order to promote legalized abortion throughout the world, and unrestricted access to abortions for adolescents. In spite of tremendous pressure from pro-abortion groups access to abortion as a basic human right was not included in UN summit Outcome Document officially adopted by the General Assembly on the 22nd of September. Pro-abortion NGO’s had been pushing during the UN September Summit for the adoption of a report produced by Navanethem Pillay, the High Commissioner on Human Rights. The report was described by some as an “extreme” and “ideologically driven” effort, to establish abortion as a “universal human right” for the purposes of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Pro-life groups issued a worldwide alert in June, urging pro-life people around the world to oppose the extremely pro-abortion report. They warned that a right to abortion under the guise of reproductive health would be proposed at the United Nations summit in New York in September 2010. Following the summit John Smeaton, SPUC’s Director said, “May I take this opportunity of thanking all those who took action to defend unborn children and their mothers throughout the world, including our colleagues in other pro-life organizations and courageous delegates from pro-life nations.” Carmen Barroso, regional director of International Planned Parenthood Western Hemisphere Region, has written to pro-abortion lobbyists saying that the Summit ’s Outcome Document … officially adopted by the General Assembly on the 22nd of September … neglects any reference to safe abortion, comprehensive sexuality education, adolescents … indicating that there is still much work to be done.” [In pro abortion language, this means legalized abortion and unrestricted access to abortion for children from 12 upwards.] Doctors For Life sees this development as an important stepping stone in the fight for the right to life of the unborn, as well as a relevant factor contributing to the physical and psychological wellbeing of the mother. Doctors For Life International is an association of more than 1800 specialists and medical doctors. DFL endeavors to promote public health by upholding sound science in the medical profession, as well as the constitutional right to freedom of conscience for all healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit www.doctorsforlife.co.za]]>