The following will be published in the March 13 issue of The Lancet:

Testing times The UK’s General Medi­cal Council has launched a public consultation on the long-discussed proposal for a new licensing procedure for doctors. The process, known as revalidation, would involve a yearly appraisal of a doctor’s fitness to practise, supported by feedback from colleagues and patients. The consultation closes on June 4.

Doctors come home Authorities in Wasit Province, central Iraq, are offer­ing financial incentives, a car, and housing allowances to specialists such as anaesthetists, cardiologists, and gynaecologists to try to get them to return to local health facilities. Many doctors have fled to the more peaceful northern parts of Iraq or abroad because of violent conflict and crime.

Nutrition claim slap Ahead of plans to tighten up the labelling of foods, the US Food and Drug Administration has made public dozens of stiff warning letters that it issued recently to several foodmakers with respect to “unauthorized nutrient content claims” on product labels and websites. Some claims about health benefits were so extreme as to count some products as drugs.

Ecuadorian achievement Ecuador has become the second nation in the Americas to stop the transmission of onchocerciasis, according to the country’s Ministry of Health and the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program in the Americas (OEPA). Colombia interrupted transmission in 2008, and now only four nations in the region—Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela—remain endemic. The OEPA seeks to stop transmission in these countries by 2012.

Mongolia winter crisis As heavy snow and temperatures of –50°C con­tinue to affect Mongolia, aid efforts have been redoubled. UNICEF and the government have airlifted emergency and edu­cational supplies to schoolchildren, while mobile medi­cal teams supported by WHO and UN agencies have been delivering support to pregnant women and newborn babies in remote areas.

Migrant health How to improve access to health care for hundreds of millions of international and inter­nal migrants was addressed last week at a meeting in Madrid, Spain. Convened by WHO, the International Organization for Migration, and the Spanish Govern­ment, the meeting called for more partnerships across sectors and be­tween countries affected by migration.

Child marriage UNICEF is supporting a new movement against child mar­riage, launched by children in West Bengal, India. Amar Shaishab Amar Adhikar (My Childhood, My Right), has released a manifesto, which for the first time collected children’s views on child marriage and suggested points of action for parents, teachers, and communities.

Prostate cancer screening In the wake of controversy about the benefit of screening strategies in reducing the burden of prostate cancer, the American Cancer Society’s new guide­lines, released on March 3, emphasise the importance of involving men in the decision to be tested. The guidelines suggest starting the screening discussion at different ages, dependent on the man’s risk.

Mudslide deaths Mudslides in eastern Uganda have left 80 people dead; hundreds more are missing after several days of torrential rains. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which has dispatched two teams to assess the situation, stated that immediate health needs include first aid and support in accessing medical facilities.

Environmental health European government ministers met in Parma, Italy, this week to discuss emerging environmental health challenges, with a focus on children. Four general areas—water and sanitation, physical activity, air quality, and protection from chemicals—were discussed in the broader context of socioeconomic and gender inequalities, extreme weather events, and the financial downturn.

Kenya health insurance Social health insurance in Kenya could be reality this year after the National Economic and Social Council accepted a proposal to transform the National Hospital Insurance Fund into a National Social Health Insurance Scheme for outpatient treatment. This reform could help millions of Kenyans who are currently only covered for in-patient treatment costs.

Pill power Could a glowing pill-bottle lid be a solution to the problem of  non-compliance? One such product is about to be tested in a small trial. When it is time to take a tablet, the top of the bottle glows orange. Pro­crastinate, and it will beep with in­creasing urgency. Ignore, and a wireless transmitter could inform your doctor.

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