Major funds boost for mental health, addiction services

Date of Posting: 01-12-2024

Children, pregnant women and people with mental health conditions will receive better support for alcohol and drug issues in a major funding boost. The $235 million package, expanding or establishing more than a dozen services, comes as policing, Read More...

Birth rate fears after cap on nation-first IVF subsidy

Date of Posting: 29-11-2024

An Australian-first rebate aimed at making parenthood easier for thousands of couples will be limited within months, sparking fears the move will drive down already declining birth rates. More than 14,000 women have been able to receive a $2000 ca Read More...

Man awarded $US412 million for penile injection scam

Date of Posting: 28-11-2024

Jurors in New Mexico have awarded a man more than $US412 million ($A634 million) in a medical malpractice case that involved unnecessary penile injections. The man's attorneys say they hope the verdict will prevent other men from falling victi Read More...

'Dangerous': Calls to premier for more gas ban rebates

Date of Posting: 28-11-2024

Major medical and equity organisations are calling on Victoria's premier to provide greater rebates to replace gas appliances, flagging "dangerous" health risks. Healthcare workers and community advocates gathered on the steps of the Read More...

Cannabis 'policy muddle' requires clarity

Date of Posting: 28-11-2024

Sales of medicinal cannabis have gone through the roof as authorities continue to bicker over the pros and cons of legalising other forms of the drug. In the first six months of 2024 there were some 2.87 million containers of medicinal cannabis so Read More...

Online medical care helps coughers avoid waiting rooms

Date of Posting: 27-11-2024

Leaving a sickbed to visit a doctor for a script or medical certificate will be a thing of the past under a new free service. The adult-focused virtual urgent care service to be rolled out in December expects to treat thousands of people each mont Read More...

Chronic conditions on the rise among Indigenous people

Date of Posting: 27-11-2024

Almost half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a chronic health condition, with those living in remote areas more likely to be affected, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The bureau's National Aboriginal and T Read More...

Major project workers at risk from cancer-causing dust

Date of Posting: 27-11-2024

Workers responsible for major transport projects might have been exposed to unsafe levels of cancer-causing dust, which has already prompted a nationwide ban on engineered stone. The Australian Workers Union said tunnellers who worked on Sydney Read More...

Scorching spring finish brings hottest temps in years

Date of Posting: 26-11-2024

Parts of Australia are heading for their hottest November temperatures in four years as a spring heatwave sends the mercury soaring towards 40C. Warnings have been issued in parts of NSW, Queensland and the ACT, with an extreme heatwave declared f Read More...

Big surge in whooping cough cases triggers concern

Date of Posting: 26-11-2024

Authorities are grappling with a significant surge in Queensland whooping cough cases, as vaccination rates in pregnant women drop. Around 12,500 infections were reported in 2024, up from 549 cases at the same time last year according to Queenslan Read More...

Relax and Recharge: Transforming Your Home into a Wellness Sanctuary for Stress Relief

Last Updated: 26-11-2024

In today's fast-paced world, stress has become a common companion for many. A survey by the Mental Health Foundation found that 74% of UK adults felt so stressed at some point over the past year that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. Cr Read More...

Canada confirms country's first case of clade I mpox

Date of Posting: 25-11-2024

Canada's public health agency has confirmed the country's first case of clade I mpox in a person in Manitoba. The Public Health Agency of Canada said the travel-related case was associated with an ongoing outbreak of clade I mpox in centra Read More...

Swimming changing lives for those with cerebral palsy

Date of Posting: 24-11-2024

Professor Sean Tweedy used to be a classifier for international paralympic sport. It was his job to determine how an athlete's disability affected their ability to perform their sport.[subscribe] "I'd ask them to do certain activit Read More...

'You've saved our lives': 100 years of caring for kids

Date of Posting: 24-11-2024

After a childhood marked by family violence, exposure to drug abuse and a school expulsion, a little boy received his first invitation to a birthday party. The 10-year-old, one of four siblings living with their mother in far west NSW, had found h Read More...

'Incredible attrition': dire warning for small business

Date of Posting: 24-11-2024

After years of high inflation taking a toll on customers and business costs, P&V Liquor co-founder Mike Bennie has never seen it so difficult. "I've never seen the kind of mortality rate of business that's going on right now, and Read More...

Patients to pay as hospitals axe health-insurer deals

Date of Posting: 22-11-2024

Millions of patients could end up paying more as a feud between insurance funds and a company operating dozens of private hospitals escalates. The termination of contracts between hospital operator Healthscope and the funds will affect patients at Read More...

Plea to end the nation's kidney dialysis dependence

Date of Posting: 21-11-2024

With chronic kidney disease projected to be the fifth leading cause of death worldwide by 2050, advocates are calling for radical action to end Australia's dependence on outdated dialysis. Despite its life-preserving role, dialysis has changed Read More...

Home tests for STIs to improve access but not diagnosis

Date of Posting: 21-11-2024

New rapid at-home testing kits for chlamydia and gonorrhoea will be available in the next couple of weeks for any women who suspect they might have sexually transmitted infections. The Therapeutic Goods Administration-approved tests can be done with Read More...

Record number of GPs in training but 'job not done'

Date of Posting: 21-11-2024

Australians could have improved access to local doctors as a record number of medical students train to become GPs. More than 1500 junior doctors will undergo specialist GP training in 2025, an almost 20 per cent increase - or 249 future GPs - on Read More...

Call for government action to address men's suicide

Date of Posting: 20-11-2024

Thousands of empty shoes symbolising the number of men who take their own lives each year across Australia have been placed in front of Parliament House. More than 2400 men and boys took their own lives in 2023, according to the Australian Bureau Read More...

New parents urged to 'make the call' on mental health

Date of Posting: 20-11-2024

The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families seeking mental health support during pregnancy and within the first year of a child's birth has tripled, a perinatal helpline says. Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA) Read More...

Thousands of vapes seized as tougher penalties set

Date of Posting: 19-11-2024

A vendor selling an illegal vape could face up to seven years in prison or a million dollar fine as the NSW government cracks down on supply of the products. Health Minister Ryan Park introduced a bill to parliament on Tuesday aimed at halting the Read More...

At least 400 dead as Bangladesh dengue outbreak worsens

Date of Posting: 18-11-2024

Bangladesh is battling its worst outbreak of dengue in years, with more than 400 deaths as rising temperatures and a longer monsoon season drive a surge in infections, leaving hospitals struggling to cope, particularly in urban areas. At least 407 Read More...

Mind check: should schools track kids' mental health?

Date of Posting: 17-11-2024

When teenager Gianna was going through her darkest times, digital support services helped her see the light at the end of the tunnel. Having been bullied at primary school, things only got worse when she reached high school, where she was often re Read More...

Is AI in healthcare ethically responsible?

Date of Posting: 16-11-2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning hold great potential to improve healthcare by enhancing diagnostics and treatment. However, their adoption comes with ethical challenges that must be addressed to ensure they’re used responsibly Read More...

Trump picks vax-sceptic RFK Jr to head US health dept

Date of Posting: 15-11-2024

US President-elect Donald Trump has selected Robert F Kennedy Jr, an environmental activist who has spread misinformation on vaccines, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy ran for president in the 2024 election as an indepe Read More...

Undervalued and lonely: older Australians struggling

Date of Posting: 15-11-2024

Six-in-10 older people say they're experiencing loneliness, with many feeling undervalued by society and struggling to reconnect. Council on the Ageing (COTA) NSW research found half of those older than 50 in the state felt socially isolated, Read More...

Nurses strike, reject staff ratio delay to fund wages

Date of Posting: 13-11-2024

Striking nurses have rejected an offer to fund their requested pay rise in return for delaying the rollout of their "big ask" for more staff, NSW's health minister says. Hundreds of surgeries are expected to be postponed as more than Read More...

Fresh treatment hope for frontline workers with PTSD

Date of Posting: 13-11-2024

Treatment for emergency service workers dealing with post traumatic stress disorder could be transformed with the assistance of new guidelines. A partnership by Black Dog Institute and UNSW will launch the first and only PTSD guidelines in the wor Read More...

Dutton supports abortion access, hits out at 'games'

Date of Posting: 13-11-2024

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has declared he supports women accessing abortion, as he attempts to prevent the debate from becoming a key federal election issue. The Greens announced their own election pledge on Wednesday, promising an extra $100 Read More...

'Furious' nurses won't back away from day-long strike

Date of Posting: 12-11-2024

More than 50,000 public nurses and midwives are perplexed by a seismic pay overhaul for police and will resist calls to back down from a 24-hour strike. The female-dominated workforce demands a one-off pay increase of 15 per cent to help address a Read More...

Trial to see if red wine chemical can stop bowel cancer

Date of Posting: 11-11-2024

Scientists will explore if a chemical mostly found in red grapes - and products made from red grapes, such as wine and juice - can help prevent bowel cancer as part of a major new trial. The study - known as Colo-Prevent - has been hailed as a &qu Read More...

Canada detects first presumptive human H5 bird flu case

Date of Posting: 11-11-2024

Canada has detected its first presumptive case of H5 bird flu in a person - a teenager in the western province of British Columbia - health officials say. The teenager likely caught the virus from a bird or animal and was receiving care at a child Read More...

Babies, pregnant mums to have greater RSV protection

Date of Posting: 11-11-2024

Pregnant women and babies will have greater protection against a condition known as respiratory syncytial virus as part of an expanded vaccination program. The federal government will spend more than $174 million to give pregnant women a free vacc Read More...

Mission to inspire generation of Indigenous pharmacists

Date of Posting: 10-11-2024

Combining a love of chemistry with his passion for helping others, Jared Miles made the "obvious choice" when he took up pharmacy. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are under-represented in the field, making up just 0.3 per ce Read More...

Social media a 'scapegoat' for poor mental health

Date of Posting: 10-11-2024

Social media is being used as something of a "scapegoat" for mental health issues in young people and isn't what is making them feel depressed, anxious and driven to self-harm, says one of Australia's leading medical research organi Read More...

Baby Jasper's brave battle with rare nerve cell cancer

Date of Posting: 10-11-2024

Two weeks before giving birth, soon-to-be parents Lauren and Jaiger Hill checked in for a routine scan where a 7cm tumour was found between their baby's heart and spine. As Lauren left the hospital that day, anxious thoughts consumed her. &quo Read More...

Skilled migrants could help fill Australia's physiotherapy shortage

Date of Posting: 08-11-2024

Antonio Mitchell moved to Australia from Chile in 2018, hoping to continue his career as a physiotherapist. With over 50,000 patients treated in his home country, Mitchell expected his qualifications to be quickly recognised. Instead, he was shocked Read More...

Is ACL surgery always the best option?

Date of Posting: 08-11-2024

ACL injuries are common in sports, but surgery isn’t always necessary for recovery. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) plays a vital role in stabilising the knee, and a rupture can sideline athletes and active individuals. In Australia, where Read More...

Deadly cough spreading like wildfire amid record cases

Date of Posting: 08-11-2024

Australia is in the grips of its worst whooping cough outbreak since the introduction of vaccines as people continue to fall behind on immunisations. More than 41,000 cases of the highly infectious and deadly lung disease have been recorded in the Read More...