News Articles
New research has found that illicit drug use can cause fatal stroke to young Aussies
Date of Posting: 04-04-2019
One-in-five fatal strokes suffered by Australians aged 15 to 44 years involved 'uppers' or psycho-stimulant use, new research has found. Dying from a stroke probably isn't the first danger most young Australians associate with illicit Read More...
Landmark trans and gender diverse health blueprint released
Date of Posting: 03-04-2019
A new health strategy released by NSW’s leading LGBTQ health organisation ACON aims to address key health issues and barriers experienced by trans and gender diverse (TGD) people. Launched today at NSW Parliament House in the week of Trans D Read More...
Authorities warned about wild mushroom poisonings in NSW
Date of Posting: 03-04-2019
The NSW Poisons Information Centre says eight people were admitted to hospital with wild mushroom poisoning in just one week. At least eight people in NSW have been admitted to hospital after being poisoned by wild mushrooms, prompting a warning f Read More...
Budget's health funding welcome but more is needed for pharmacy
Date of Posting: 03-04-2019
The government’s commitment to pharmacy in tonight’s 2019-20 Federal Budget through the extension of the AHI fee and reduced Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) wait times is welcomed by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA). Read More...
Report shows stark reality of Victoria's mental health system
Date of Posting: 03-04-2019
Only about one-third of people in Victoria who need clinical mental health care receive it in the public system, and Victoria spends the least per capita than any other State or Territory. The recently released report ‘Access To Mental Read More...
Few benefits for rural health in Federal Budget
Last Updated: 03-04-2019
The peak national body for rural health has welcomed $62m to train doctors in rural generalist practice, but says tonight’s budget has largely failed to address a critical shortage of allied health professionals for 7 million people living outs Read More...
$7M research funding to pilot new models of care for brain disorders in Australia
Date of Posting: 03-04-2019
2 April 2019: The 2019 Federal Budget has delivered a win for people living with brain disorders in Australia, with a $7million funding boost for research aimed at developing improved models of care. The clinical and research translation pro Read More...
Health experts have called for a unified approach to tackling obesity
Date of Posting: 02-04-2019
As many areas of Australia deal with higher obesity rates, health experts continue to push for a national approach in tackling the epidemic. Health experts have called for a unified approach to tackling obesity as areas of Australia lag behind in Read More...
Healing the heartbreak of stillbirth and newborn death
Date of Posting: 02-04-2019
Parents who experience stillbirth or neonatal death will be offered “the best possible care in the worst possible circumstance”, thanks to guidelines developed by the Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence and The University of Queensla Read More...
Asthma and flu a risky combination - get immunised
Date of Posting: 02-04-2019
Even if your asthma is well managed, you are at higher risk of complications if you catch influenza (flu). For example, adults and children with asthma are more likely to develop pneumonia after getting sick with the flu than people who do not hav Read More...
Equity the priority for the Federal Budget
Date of Posting: 02-04-2019
The Australian Health Care Reform Alliance (AHCRA) today called on the Federal Government to make health equity the first priority in the health portfolio in tomorrow’s Federal Budget. AHCRA is a coalition of health groups and individuals wo Read More...
A stem cell trial in Victoria to aid stroke patients
Date of Posting: 02-04-2019
A world-first trial is underway in Victoria to use stem cell infusions to possibly reduce a stroke patient's brain injury and improve their recovery. When Kevin Baird was rushed to a Melbourne hospital after having a stroke, he didn't expe Read More...
Why are we losing so many Indigenous children to suicide?
Last Updated: 01-04-2019
Over the past five years, one in every four children who died by suicide in Australia was Indigenous. The recent child and youth suicides in our communities are a tragedy. Five young Indigenous Queenslanders have taken their lives this mont Read More...
This is what postnatal depression really feels like
Last Updated: 01-04-2019
Motherhood can be a source of joy, but it can also pose difficulties and challenges – particularly, in the postnatal period. It is a time when some mothers’ emotional and physical endurance is pushed to the limit. Abo Read More...
Making more drugs available 'over the counter' a win-win for public and the healthcare system
Last Updated: 01-04-2019
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is currently looking to expand the list of medicines available “over the counter” – that is, via a pharmacist without a prescription. If these changes get off the ground, we cou Read More...
Record expected to be broken again as NSW kids get crunching
Date of Posting: 01-04-2019
Only around 5% of children in NSW eat enough vegetables. In an effort to change this statistic, primary schools across NSW will be coming together to encourage students and their families to eat more vegetables with Vegetable Week & The Big Ve Read More...
Don't wait for a crisis - start planning your aged care now
Last Updated: 01-04-2019
Alison Rahn, Western Sydney University Most Australians prefer to die at home but few adequately plan for it. Consequently, just one in seven dies at home. Some say they will make plans “when the need arises”. But what if Read More...
Going to sleep on either side in late pregnancy more than halves stillbirth risk
Date of Posting: 01-04-2019
Pregnant women can now rest easier – on their side. A University of Auckland-led international study published today in a prestigious Lancet group journal provides the strongest evidence yet that by going to sleep on either side in the last thr Read More...
Stronger restraint regulations to protect senior Australians
Date of Posting: 01-04-2019
The Morrison Government has moved to significantly strengthen the regulations that apply to the use of physical and chemical restraints in aged care homes. In January this year, I said we would strengthen regulations because we will not tolerate t Read More...
Choice warned customers to research the new policies
Date of Posting: 01-04-2019
Sweeping changes to private health insurance have consumer group Choice warning customers to research the new policies and product tiers in coming weeks. With sweeping changes to private health insurance coming into effect, consumers are being urg Read More...
People failing to use condoms has led to a surge in indigenous HIV
Date of Posting: 01-04-2019
The gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians in sexual health is widening, according to a new study. The finding comes as a significant increase in regional and remote HIV diagnoses shows a widening gap between indigenous and non-indi Read More...
A real-time prescription medication monitoring system will go online across Victoria
Date of Posting: 01-04-2019
A prescription medication real-time monitoring system will go live across Victoria in less than 24 hours in a move to prevent doctor-shopping and save lives. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos announced that the $29.5 million system, SafeScript, will g Read More...
A new IT system being rolled out at Queensland hospitals is plagued by dangerous flaws
Date of Posting: 29-03-2019
Doctors have warned an upgraded patient records system being rolled out at Queensland hospitals is plagued by dangerous flaws. A new IT system being rolled out at Queensland hospitals is dangerous and must be halted to protect patients, the Austra Read More...
Mental health program getting people back on track
Date of Posting: 29-03-2019
Results from a new Australian intervention have shown encouraging results for people with a history of hospital admission for anxiety and depression. Published in BMC Psychiatry, a study examined the first 17 months of implementation of the MindSt Read More...
Researchers hope a simple nasal spray could cut the number of child tonsillectomies
Date of Posting: 29-03-2019
Each year more than 40,000 people have their tonsils out – it is the most common elective childhood operation in Australia – but this number could be reduced by a simple nasal spray being trialed by Melbourne researchers.[subscribe] Read More...
Another measles case has been diagnosed in Victoria
Date of Posting: 29-03-2019
Another case of measles has been diagnosed in Victoria, this time for a person who spent several hours at Melbourne airport. Health authorities say the illness was acquired overseas and the affected person was in transit through Melbourne Airport Read More...
Blowing the whistle: what drives nurses and midwives to turn whistleblower
Date of Posting: 28-03-2019
What drives nurses and midwives to turn whistleblower and report wrongdoing outside their organisation? What ramifications surface personally and professionally in the aftermath? Robert Fedele investigates. If you’ve got a gut feeling that s Read More...
Obesity and alcohol responsible for nearly 30,000 cases of breast cancers in the next decade
Date of Posting: 28-03-2019
Body fatness and alcohol consumption are the leading preventable causes of breast cancer in Australian women, a new study in 200,000 women has found. Maintaining a healthy weight and not consuming alcohol regularly could help prevent thousands of Read More...
Calls for urgent action in rural and remote communities on eve of federal election
Date of Posting: 28-03-2019
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health inequality is the most pressing health issue facing Australia, according to over 1100 delegates at the 15th National Rural Health Conference. The conference identified priorities for an incoming governm Read More...
Australian government will spend $3 million on macular disease
Date of Posting: 28-03-2019
The federal government will spend $3 million on macular disease to raise awareness and assist in the early detection of the potentially blinding condition. Australians living with a degenerative eye disease have been given a $3 million federal gov Read More...
Eggs sold around NSW are being recalled due to potential salmonella contamination
Date of Posting: 28-03-2019
NSW Food Authority said Ash and Sons Eggs is conducting a recall of various cartons of 12 eggs due to potential salmonella contamination. NSW Food Authority on Wednesday said Ash and Sons Eggs is conducting a recall of various cartons of 12 eggs w Read More...
QLD government forced to release emergency funds to free up private hospital beds
Last Updated: 27-03-2019
Southeast Queensland hospitals are at capacity, forcing the state government to release emergency funds to free up private beds. There are no empty beds in adult emergency departments in southeast Queensland but the state's chief health office Read More...
What is the Medicare rebate freeze and what does it mean for you?
Last Updated: 27-03-2019
Helen Dickinson, UNSW On the weekend, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said he would end the Medicare freeze in his first 50 days as prime minister if Labor won the election. [subscribe] Every day Morrison’s Medicare freeze stays in Read More...
I need to know: 'are Kegel exercises actually good for you?'
Last Updated: 27-03-2019
Melissa Kang, University of Technology Sydney [subscribe] I Need to Know is an ongoing series for teens in search of reliable, confidential advice about life’s tricky questions. If you’re a teen, send us your questions a Read More...
Former chiropractor's appeal leads to 10-year disqualification
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
The Chiropractic Board of Australia has welcomed the decision of the District Court of South Australia to uphold a tribunal’s decision to cancel the registration of former chiropractor, Mr Robert Marin. Chiropractic Board of Australia (the B Read More...
Improving services for people with young onset dementia
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
Scant recognition of young onset dementia - a progressive decline in mental functioning that can affect people aged from their early 30s – is resulting in a disturbing gap in adequate care and services for more than 25,000 Australians currently Read More...
Healthcare needs registered nurses, not replacements
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
Australia’s health system is becoming increasingly reliant on unregistered carers with limited training and this is negatively impacting on levels of care in all settings and patient outcomes. “Following tragic stories of neglect and m Read More...
Blood vessels like a 70 year old: Scientists find cause of fetal growth restriction
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
Around 5% of all babies born in Australia are just a third of the size they should be and suffer lifelong health complications as part of a condition known as fetal growth restriction (FGR). FGR means their growth slows or stops during pregnancy, Read More...
Australia signs up for new era of aged care rights
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
New laws will compel all aged care providers to sign and conform to a single, strengthened Charter of Rights, under the Morrison Government’s latest aged care quality and safety reforms. For the first time, providers will have to provide a p Read More...
Racism, climate change, access and workforce - big ticket issues in rural health
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
Australia’s 15th National Rural Health Conference has opened in Hobart with a big focus on climate change, access, workforce and a call for the abolition of discrimination and racism in health service delivery in remote and rural areas. In h Read More...
