'Eye-watering': minister stares down health funds plea

Date of Posting: 02-10-2026

Health ministers are continuing their crusade for more federal funding to sort aged care bed block, after key talks failed to yield concrete commitments. State and territory ministers met on Friday with their federal counterpart Mark Butler, who d Read More...

How a blood donor saved a happy couple's wedding day

Date of Posting: 02-10-2026

When James Tsaousidis was diagnosed with cancer the week he sent his wedding invitations, he and his fiancé's first instinct was to cancel the event. A decade together at that time, the Sydney high school sweethearts - now both aged 31 Read More...

Indonesian free school meals sicken 1700 in three days

Date of Posting: 02-10-2026

Another 777 students and teachers have contracted food poisoning in Indonesia's Central ‌Java after consuming government-issued free meals, a school principal says, bringing the total number of people made ill by the ‌scheme to more tha Read More...

Child's death after petting zoo trip sparks warning

Date of Posting: 01-10-2026

A three-year-old girl's tragic death from a rare infection commonly found in farm animals has triggered warnings from health authorities over the importance of hand hygiene. The girl died in a Melbourne hospital over the weekend after six week Read More...

'No brainer': tobacco tax-cut idea could crush crime

Last Updated: 01-10-2026

Making cigarettes cheaper and removing economic incentives for organised crime to peddle illicit tobacco is a "no brainer", according to an economist. As the coalition announces a policy to slash taxes on cigarettes and make a legal pack Read More...

'Sailor's disease' scurvy linked to young boy's death

Last Updated: 30-09-2026

A six-year-old boy has died from scurvy, the so‑called "sailor's disease" common in the convict era.. Brisbane boy Connor Dean died after a cardiac arrest under general anaesthetic at Queensland Children's Hospital in 2024. Read More...

Women's health innovators face arduous path to success

Date of Posting: 30-09-2026

Australia could be a leader in women's health innovation, but investors are not prioritising health tech and it is sending female innovators overseas. Just two per cent of all tech startup capital in Australia in 2025 went to all-female founde Read More...

Ebola response must be scaled up, says WHO

Date of Posting: 30-09-2026

The head of the World Health Organization says the Ebola response needs to ‌be scaled up to tackle the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with tracking the chains of transmission still posing a challenge. "Until every chain is Read More...

Congo's Ebola toll passes 3000, cases rise to 6186

Date of Posting: 29-09-2026

More than 3000 people have died from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the outbreak was officially declared in mid-May, health authorities say. A total of 6186 cases have been confirmed in the Central African nation, including 3007 d Read More...

Festival pill testing to become permanent after trial

Date of Posting: 29-09-2026

Pill testing is set to be rolled out at music festivals this summer after a successful year-long state government trial. The NSW government announced $4.3 million to continue the service, which allows festival-goers to anonymously check the conten Read More...

'Massive' gaps and a new frontier facing women's health

Date of Posting: 29-09-2026

A woman in her 20s wakes up at 4am to go through her skincare, gym and supplement regime, and makes breakfast from scratch after being told by influencers she must. She skips social events, performs another extensive routine before bed and then li Read More...

More patients stranded as bed-block crisis worsens

Date of Posting: 28-09-2026

A patient has been stranded in a public hospital for almost three years in a state that has become "ground zero" for Australia's bed-block crisis. Health Minister Tim Nicholls has revealed the number of Queensland hospital patients w Read More...

Young footy referee died in 'challenging' health system

Date of Posting: 28-09-2026

Robert Murray was a "warm and obliging" young man, a devoted footy referee and avid supporter of his remote hometown team. But at the age of 31, Mr Murray died of pneumonia at the small Collarenebri multipurpose health centre in northwes Read More...

Quest to protect rare parrot from deadly bird flu

Last Updated: 24-09-2026

A vaccination program to help protect a critically endangered parrot from deadly H5 bird flu has begun in earnest ahead of its summer breeding season. The migratory orange-bellied parrot, which has a wild population of 90-100, was considered a pri Read More...

More than 6000 people infected with Ebola in DR Congo

Date of Posting: 24-09-2026

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in ‌the Democratic Republic of Congo ‌has passed the 6000 mark, government data shows. The epidemic has become the largest in ‌the ‌central ⁠African country's history, surpassing th Read More...

Major MND move must go nationwide for research boost

Date of Posting: 24-09-2026

Australia's peak motor neurone disease advocacy body has welcomed a state's move to make the disorder a notifiable condition, calling for an expansion of the nation-first initiative. The law change in NSW will enforce the collection and re Read More...

Ex-surgeon referred to tribunal for alleged misconduct

Date of Posting: 23-09-2026

A former gynaecologist accused of performing unnecessary surgeries has been referred to a tribunal for alleged professional misconduct. Hundreds of women have contacted lawyers about the treatment they received from former Epworth surgeon Dr Simon Read More...

Weight drugs trigger 'cultural body trauma' for women

Last Updated: 23-09-2026

Skinny culture is trending again, according to the internet. The rise of GLP-1 medications has made weight loss more attainable for many people.[subscribe] But has it created yet another stigma for women when it comes to their bodies? " Read More...

Scientist's brainstorm transforms dementia-risk testing

Date of Posting: 23-09-2026

When Jane Alty walked into a dementia clinic waiting room, it sparked a brainstorm now revolutionising risk detection of the debilitating disease decades before symptoms emerge. The UK-born neurologist, who specialises in movement analysis of cond Read More...

Subsidised access to cancer-fighting drug expanded

Date of Posting: 22-09-2026

People with several rare and advanced cancers will be able to access another treatment option at low cost. Clinicians will be able to prescribe pembrolizumab, known by the brand name Keytruda, for several new forms of advanced cancer under the Pha Read More...

Busy Philipps warns women not to ignore their instincts

Date of Posting: 22-09-2026

Busy Philipps has warned women not to ignore their instincts after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. The 47-year-old actress discovered her health issues in February after undergoing a full-body MRI scan but her primary care physician origina Read More...

Labour of love needs more labour, chief midwife says

Date of Posting: 22-09-2026

A state's chief midwife has welcomed an increase in the midwifery workforce, but says more are needed to properly support women through pregnancy, birth and beyond. There has been a 10 per cent increase in midwives in NSW since June 2023, with Read More...

Major psychological risk for scientists facing bird flu

Date of Posting: 21-09-2026

The decision to evacuate a team of researchers to avoid the psychological distress of witnessing thousands of seal deaths shows the mental health of wildlife scientists is beginning to be taken seriously, experts say. Researchers will be withdrawn Read More...

Congo's Ebola outbreak spreads to two new health zones

Date of Posting: 21-09-2026

The fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history has spread to two new health zones in eastern Congo, with a total of 60 now affected, according to government figures. The two new zones affected are Biena and Manguredjipa in Congo's North Kivu pr Read More...

Dolphin contracts bird flu as staff pulled from island

Date of Posting: 21-09-2026

Researchers will be evacuated from a World Heritage island to protect their mental health amid a worsening bird flu outbreak, as it emerges a dolphin has tested positive for the virus. The Australian Antarctic Division says it will withdraw staff Read More...

Ten-year rise in women hospitalised for endometriosis

Date of Posting: 20-09-2026

The rate of girls and women in Australia being hospitalised for endometriosis has increased by almost a quarter in the past decade, with more than 70 per cent of procedures occurring in private hospitals. There were about 24,700 hospitalisations f Read More...

Irritable bowel study seeks clues on why women targeted

Date of Posting: 20-09-2026

The final years of high school are anxious times for most teens. But for Isabelle Pfundt, who was living with an undiagnosed illness that worsens from stress, year 12 became one of the worst years of her life.[subscribe] "I was so stressed Read More...

Probe ramps up for Pakistan blaze that killed newborns

Last Updated: 20-09-2026

Investigators appointed by Pakistan's prime minister have made a visit to the hospital nursery where a fast-moving fire killed 14 newborns, as grieving families and the public sought answers about the cause of the blaze and the safety measures at Read More...

Norway's King Harald in 'very serious' health condition

Date of Posting: 18-09-2026

The health of Norway's King Harald has ‌deteriorated while in hospital and his condition is now "very serious", the royal ‌court says. Europe's oldest living monarch, 89, and Norway's ceremonial head of state ‌ Read More...

'Deeply unserious': funding boost for bird flu slammed

Date of Posting: 18-09-2026

A $20 million boost for wildlife protection in response to the bird flu outbreak has been slammed as "deeply unserious" by a leading conservation group. The federal government on Thursday announced a total funding increase of $145 millio Read More...

A shot of microplastics a jolt for coffee drinkers

Date of Posting: 17-09-2026

Caffeinated commuters are being given a wake-up call, with research showing they might be receiving an unwanted shot of microplastics with their morning cup of coffee. Scientists have found single-use paper cups widely used for takeaway coffee rel Read More...

Chemist Warehouse earnings surge on weight-loss drugs

Date of Posting: 17-09-2026

Profits are booming for the owner of Chemist Warehouse since buying the pharmacy giant, backed by a boom in weight-loss drugs. Sigma Healthcare, which rounded out its first financial year with Chemist Warehouse since completing the takeover in Feb Read More...

Roaches to the rescue cyborg insects to deliver aid

Date of Posting: 17-09-2026

It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but for people trapped under rubble in an earthquake or similar disaster, the arrival of a fleet of cockroaches could be the difference between life and death. Biorobotics engineers have been working Read More...

Lifeline for emergency departments from new health hub

Date of Posting: 16-09-2026

The push to ease pressure on slammed emergency departments has prompted a state government to unveil plans for a new integrated health hub. Giving patients alternatives to visiting a NSW hospital and somewhere they can receive holistic and prevent Read More...

Fears for seals grow after second flu detection

Date of Posting: 16-09-2026

A second long-nosed fur seal has tested positive to bird flu near an endangered sea lion breeding site as a vaccination program ramps up. The South Australia government on Tuesday confirmed the seal had died of the virus at Pages Conservation Park Read More...

Call for tobacco tax to be cut as crims control market

Date of Posting: 16-09-2026

Australia's tax on tobacco should be slashed by up to 80 per cent to dismantle organised crime networks controlling the market, the federal opposition has urged. The excise, which adds about $1.50 to the price of every cigarette in a pack, is Read More...

Assisted dying clause gagging doctors defended

Date of Posting: 15-09-2026

A proposed gag on doctors raising voluntary assisted dying with patients is a safeguard against terminally ill people being coerced into ending their lives, a territory's chief legal officer says. Northern Territory Attorney-General Marie-Clar Read More...

Bird flu could wipe out endangered sea lion population

Date of Posting: 15-09-2026

An endangered Australian seal population could be wiped out if a deadly bird flu strain infects its colonies, as authorities test a second marine mammal suspected to have contracted the virus. The first positive case of H5 bird flu in a mammal was Read More...

Panettiere was struggling with 'pain' before her death

Date of Posting: 15-09-2026

Hayden Panettiere was struggling with "pain" before her death, according to her mother Lesley Vogel. The Heroes star - who died on August 16 aged just 36 - was estranged from Lesley but they are said to have spent some time together in L Read More...

Short-stay units unveiled to alleviate emergency crisis

Date of Posting: 14-09-2026

Several bursting hospitals will receive 22 short-stay units under a state plan to relieve pressure on emergency department. The NSW government on Monday announced it would direct $130.7 million to building the units this financial year.[subscribe] Read More...