Turnbull says Medicare must update systems

Date of Posting: 09-02-2016

Labor has used question time to quiz the prime minister over a reported plan to privatise Medicare. Malcolm Turnbull says Medicare must update its technology to make it simpler and faster to deal with the health care agency.[subscribe] Oppositi Read More...

Toxic shellfish scare at Gippsland Lakes

Date of Posting: 08-02-2016

Recreational fishers are being advised not to eat shellfish caught in the Gippsland Lakes with fears they may be affected by a natural toxin. Just days after dozens of people fell ill from salmonella in packaged salad, Victorian health authorities Read More...

Vic doctor "unfairly targeted" over baby deaths

Date of Posting: 08-02-2016

The former head of obstetrics at Bacchus Marsh Hospital, Surinder Parhar, says he has been "unfairly targeted" over a spate of baby deaths. The doctor embroiled in a scandal surrounding a spate of baby deaths at a Victorian hospital has Read More...

Victoria salmonella outbreak spreads wider

Last Updated: 08-02-2016

A recall affecting pre-packaged lettuce amid fears of a salmonella outbreak has grown much wider than first thought. A salmonella outbreak affecting pre-packaged lettuce sold at Coles and Woolworths has spread wider than first thought.[subscribe] Read More...

Health Minister to tackle medical device pricing quirk

Date of Posting: 05-02-2016

Health Minister Sussan Ley wants to tackle a pricing quirk which makes medical devices more expensive in the private health system. The federal government will move to fix up a quirk that makes medical devices more expensive in the private health Read More...

Chiropractic Board of Australia 'should be sacked' amid allegations

Last Updated: 04-02-2016

The Chiropractic Board of Australia is facing growing calls for it to be sacked amid accusations it's failed to act on hundreds of complaints. The health regulatory agency has been criticised for not acting against the Chiropractic Board of Au Read More...

Smoking pot may ruin your vocabulary

Date of Posting: 03-02-2016

Marijuana use over time is associated with remembering fewer words but doesn't appear to harm other cognitive functions, new research shows. "Whatchamacallit?" may be uttered more frequently by long-term marijuana users than by those Read More...

UK approves 'gene editing' of human embryo

Last Updated: 02-02-2016

A British scientist has been granted a licence to edit genes of human embryos for research, a move some claim will lead the way to designer babies. Scientists in Britain have been given the green light to edit the genes of human embryos for resear Read More...

Stressed out teens face hypertension risk

Date of Posting: 02-02-2016

Research has linked low stress resilience in the teenage years to a heightened risk of developing hypertension later in life. Young adults who are easily stressed are more likely to have high blood pressure in later life, researchers have found.[s Read More...

Organ donation goes digital to lift numbers

Date of Posting: 02-02-2016

Australians will soon be able to become organ donors online within 10 minutes without filling out paperwork, as the government tries to lift donor numbers. The Turnbull government is overhauling the way Australians register to become organ donors, Read More...

Race for Zika vaccine gains momentum

Date of Posting: 01-02-2016

Scientists and private developers are doing all they can to develop a vaccine for the Zika virus. Companies and scientists are racing to create a Zika vaccine as concern grows over the mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to severe birth defe Read More...

Doctors warned to keep vigilant about asbestos

Date of Posting: 01-02-2016

Australians embarking on DIY home renovations are at risk of contracting asbestos-related diseases and doctors are being warned to look out for it. Australians embarking on DIY home renovations are increasingly becoming the victims of asbestos-rel Read More...

'Silent killer' targeted in kidney campaign

Date of Posting: 01-02-2016

More than 20,000 Australians will die this year of the 'silent killer' - chronic kidney disease, prompting new awareness campaign Most Australians who have indicators of chronic kidney disease have no idea they have a potentially life-thre Read More...

Taking physiotherapy into the outback

Last Updated: 30-01-2016

A unique fly-in fly-out partnership is taking specialist physiotherapy services a step closer to Indigenous children living in some of Australia’s most remote communities. It also demonstrates the role physiotherapy can play in delivering outre Read More...

Pharmacy lifeline for remote Qld community

Date of Posting: 28-01-2016

A pharmacy has opened in the remote north Queensland indigenous community of Yarrabah for the first time in 20 years. Residents in Australia's largest Aboriginal community will have easy access to much-needed medication for the first time in n Read More...

Doctors call for more diversity in medical students

Date of Posting: 27-01-2016

Two doctors have called for better opportunities for medical students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Students from low socio-economic backgrounds should be given fair opportunity to become doctors, say two medical school selection intervie Read More...

Secret experiments on primates taxpayer funded: report

Date of Posting: 25-01-2016

Taxpayer research funds have been used to conduct "Frankenstein-like" experiments and organ transplants on imported primates, Fairfax Media reports. Sydney hospitals and universities are conducting secret medical experiments on hundreds Read More...

Qld hospital takes action to limit lethal outbreak

Date of Posting: 25-01-2016

Health authorities say they've done everything they can to prevent further deaths from a respiratory virus outbreak at a Queensland aged care hospital. Health authorities say they've done everything possible to prevent further deaths at a Read More...

Legionella infection at Qld hospital

Date of Posting: 25-01-2016

A patient at Brisbane's Mater Hospital has tested positive for legionella after undergoing three medical tests, the second case in the city this month. A patient at Brisbane's Mater Private Hospital has tested positive for the legionella b Read More...

The Greatest Way to Make a Difference in Your Career

Last Updated: 22-01-2016

For those of us that are now established in our careers in the health industry, we know the truth of a satisfying professional life. Ambition is one thing, achievement is another. It’s a magic combination of study, experience in the field and b Read More...

Acclaimed Public Health Information Development Unit welcomed to Torrens University Australia

Last Updated: 22-01-2016

The Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU), funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health to promote and manage the collection, dissemination and utilisation of national, state and local data for public health purposes, has joined Torre Read More...

Birth defects rise in Brazil as Zika virus spreads

Date of Posting: 22-01-2016

The number of suspected cases of microcephaly, thought to be caught through mosquito bites, is increasing in Brazil. The cases of babies born with unusually small heads continue to rise in Brazil where researchers say they have found new evidence Read More...

Drug industry calls for help in superbug fight

Date of Posting: 22-01-2016

Drugmakers and industry groups have asked governments to help them fight the growing threat of drug-resistant superbugs that could kill tens of millions. More than 80 international drug and biotech firms have urged governments to work with them to Read More...

Babies mixed up in NSW hospitals

Date of Posting: 22-01-2016

Seven mothers were given the wrong baby to breastfeed in NSW public hospitals despite strict identification procedures. Babies have been handed to the wrong mother for breastfeeding seven times in NSW hospitals in recent years, the state oppositio Read More...

Jobs demand for nurses and allied health in 2016

Last Updated: 21-01-2016

Are you looking for health sector work in 2016? Recruitment firm Hays says most employment opportunities this year can be found in the aged care and disability sectors, and in Australia’s regional and remote areas.[subscribe] Hays healthc Read More...

Cocaine can make your brain eat itself

Last Updated: 20-01-2016

High doses of cocaine can hijack cells' natural process of getting rid of debris, causing brain tissue to digest itself, scientists have found. High doses of cocaine can cause the brain to eat itself, research suggests.[subscribe] A mouse s Read More...

Breakthrough IVF device trialed in UK

Date of Posting: 20-01-2016

British doctors are testing a breakthrough IVF device that could allow fertilisation to take place in the womb rather than the lab. Would-be parents are being offered a new form of IVF which allows fertilisation to take place inside the womb inste Read More...

WA mental health patients discharged into backpackers hostels

Date of Posting: 19-01-2016

Discharging mental health patients into backpacker hostels could affect their recovery, according to a WA mental health advocate. The West Australian government says it has "no formal arrangements" with backpacker hostels to house discha Read More...

Stem cell treatment helps MS patients walk

Date of Posting: 19-01-2016

A treatment that has the potential to reverse the effects of multiple sclerosis has been tested in clinical trials in four countries. A stem cell treatment for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) has enabled some patients to walk again, doctors sa Read More...

APA strengthens physiotherapy ties with China

Date of Posting: 18-01-2016

The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) will deliver seven courses to Chinese health professionals this year as it works to bolster the physiotherapy profession in the world’s most populous country. Australia’s peak physiotherap Read More...

New genetic test Down's syndrome in UK

Date of Posting: 15-01-2016

UK women at risk of giving birth to babies with abnormalities are being offered a new blood test that can detect Down's, Patau's and Edwards' syndromes. A new, highly accurate test for Down's syndrome has been recommended for high- Read More...

Miners anger over black lung resurgence

Date of Posting: 15-01-2016

Queensland's minister for mines has announced a plan to tackle black lung disease, which affects coal miners, after five confirmed cases in the state. Underground coal miners feel let down by the system amid fears more workers could be diagnos Read More...

Industry report on alcohol and violence slammed by experts

Date of Posting: 14-01-2016

A report commissioned by the alcohol industry has underplayed the role of grog in violence, researchers say. As one-punch attacks continue to dominate Australasian headlines, researchers have slammed a report saying alcohol is not a cause of viole Read More...

Food allergies linked to hyperactive cells at birth

Date of Posting: 14-01-2016

Immune systems of babies who develop food allergies are 'primed' for them by the time they are born, says new research Babies with hyperactive immune cells at birth are more likely to develop food allergies in early life, new Australian re Read More...

Researcher puts muscle damage under the microscope

Date of Posting: 14-01-2016

A New Zealand post-doctoral researcher will take up a role investigating the progressive muscle-wasting group of diseases, muscular dystrophy, in the United States this month. Dr Angus Lindsay, previously a lecturer in exercise physiology at the U Read More...

Dementia breakthroughs expected within a decade

Date of Posting: 13-01-2016

A leading British scientists says new treatments for dementia are in the pipeline with therapies being trialled which could provide a breakthrough. New treatments for dementia are "on target" to be developed within the next decade, a lea Read More...

Mammograms most beneficial for over 50's

Date of Posting: 12-01-2016

A US task force has come to the conclusion mammograms do most good when women have them from the age of 50 onwards and should be merely an option at 40. Mammograms do the most good later in life, a US government task force has declared in recommen Read More...

Gene sequencing to detect early-stage cancer

Date of Posting: 11-01-2016

A universal blood test to identify early-stage cancers is being funded in the United States by gene sequencing company Illumina. Gene sequencing company Illumina is going after the next big advance in cancer detection, working to develop a univers Read More...

Cancer risk not enough for lifestyle changes

Date of Posting: 11-01-2016

People are reluctant to change their lifestyles despite the risk of developing cancer, new research from Britain shows. People are reluctant to change their unhealthy lifestyle choices even when they know they could contribute to them getting canc Read More...

'Happy Meal' concept could help cut obesity

Date of Posting: 08-01-2016

Non-food perks with smaller food portions could significantly counter the rising problem of obesity, researchers find. Eating smaller portion sizes and adding a non-food prize can help cut back on overeating, scientists say.[subscribe] Research Read More...