News Articles
Swimmers' cancer risk sparks call for sun safe Olympics
Date of Posting: 12-06-2024
Brisbane's 2032 Games need to be sun safe, say researchers who are studying the risk of skin cancer among elite swimmers. Dermatologist Peter Soyer checked the skin of 44 elite swimmers and 23 of the athletes' support staff, as part of a s Read More...
Free menstrual products for outback communities
Date of Posting: 12-06-2024
Free pads and tampons will be given to remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory to help with cost of living pressures. The Albanese government on Tuesday announced it will provide $12.5 million over four years to the National Aborig Read More...
Check-ups could stop two men from dying every hour
Last Updated: 11-06-2024
About two men - someone's father, son or brother - are lost every hour to preventable deaths in Australia. The leading killer of 50 men every day is heart disease but the Australian Men's Health Forum has warned that keeping men alive for Read More...
Prominent dentist banned for four years for misconduct
Date of Posting: 11-06-2024
A high profile dentist who spruiked a no-brace method of straightening teeth has been banned for four years. Best known as the proprietor of Melbourne's No Brace Centre, Ari Masters was banned during a professional disciplinary proceeding aris Read More...
Insurers on notice to cough up for full hospital bills
Date of Posting: 10-06-2024
Describing the set up as unsustainable, Mr Mookhey pledged to work with the industry to ensure companies pay their fair share of costs. "We've got about six months to sort it out but otherwise we are going to have to take action to ensure Read More...
Paramedic caught high on drugs while working on shift
Date of Posting: 10-06-2024
A paramedic who had a cocktail of drugs, including ice, in his system while working has been suspended. Drug and alcohol testing in June 2020 revealed that Ambulance Victoria paramedic Michael Graham had methamphetamine, cannabis, amphetamine, cod Read More...
Blood appeal after cyber attack on London hospitals
Date of Posting: 10-06-2024
People with O blood-type have been urged to make donations in the UK following a ransomware attack affecting data at major London hospitals. Affected hospitals cannot currently match patients' blood at the same frequency as usual, but O blood- Read More...
More telehealth, ED boost to ease hospital pressure
Date of Posting: 09-06-2024
More free telehealth appointments, a boost to Urgent Care Clinics and expanding emergency departments are part of a $480 million bid to ease pressure on NSW hospitals. The health funding boost in the upcoming state budget is designed to avoid 290, Read More...
Number of elderly waiting months for home help doubles
Date of Posting: 07-06-2024
Elderly Australians in need of home care support face wait times up to nine months with the number of those in need doubling to 70,000 in just one year. The government is facing increasing pressure to reduce the delays with the number of those in Read More...
New test promises earlier detection of dementia onset
Date of Posting: 07-06-2024
A new test promises to predict whether someone will get dementia, almost a decade before diagnosis. An international research team, including Associate Professor Adeel Razi from Melbourne's Monash University, have developed a new method for pr Read More...
Chronic back pain is a significant issue in Australia
Date of Posting: 06-06-2024
One in five Australians over the age of 45 experience chronic back pain, with the most common complaint being low back pain. It is estimated that this costs AUD 139 billion annually, including $12 billion in direct healthcare costs. So, what treatmen Read More...
WHO confirms first fatal human case of bird flu A(H5N2)
Date of Posting: 06-06-2024
The World Health Organisation says a death was caused by the first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with a subtype of avian influenza. The WHO said the 59-year-old resident of Mexico had died on April 24 after developing a fever, short Read More...
More doctors choosing general practice under 'recovery'
Date of Posting: 05-06-2024
The GP bulk-billing rate is continuing to rise, with the number of doctors taking up general practice also increasing. More than a million extra trips to the doctor have been bulk-billed since November, with Australia's bulk-billing rate risin Read More...
Cyber attack hits major London hospitals
Date of Posting: 05-06-2024
Major hospitals in London have declared a critical incident after a cyber attack led to the cancellation of operations and the loss of blood transfusions. Memos to National Health Service staff at King's College Hospital, Guy's and St Thom Read More...
Funding boost for 'inadequate' mental health services
Date of Posting: 04-06-2024
People with mental illness will have easier access to well-staffed services in NSW as a report highlights widespread failings in the state's support for those in need. The $111 million budget boost for mental-health spending follows the stabbi Read More...
Hunt for rural doctors failing as health system flails
Date of Posting: 04-06-2024
Who wants to be a rural doctor? It is the burning question at the centre of a NSW inquiry as the state's rural health system faces a deepening crisis.[subscribe] After a damning 2022 report found country patients had far worse health outcom Read More...
Billion-dollar deal the right prescription for chemists
Date of Posting: 03-06-2024
A multi-billion-dollar boost to pharmacies has been locked in for the next five years following a deal between the federal government and chemists. The latest community pharmacy agreement was signed off by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the P Read More...
Rural mums put at risk by health care system in crisis
Date of Posting: 03-06-2024
Rural women are travelling hundreds of kilometres to give birth amid a health care crisis which is set to worsen with a severe shortage of specialists and midwives. Public maternity units across regional NSW are under enormous pressure, putting pa Read More...
Nations approve steps to better prepare for pandemics
Date of Posting: 02-06-2024
The World Health Organisation's member countries have approved a series of steps to improve global preparedness for and response to pandemics like COVID-19 and mpox. Nations agreed to amend the International Health Regulations, which were adop Read More...
Hospital crisis sees elective surgeries cancelled
Date of Posting: 02-06-2024
South Australia's emergency departments are in crisis, with staggering wait times on the first day of winter as respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 sweep the state. A system-wide 'code yellow' was declared for the state's publ Read More...
Nurses' staffing shortfall fight thrown out of court
Date of Posting: 31-05-2024
Nurses have lost a legal fight over claims of staffing shortfalls at public hospitals, with a judge throwing out a union bid to have the NSW government hit with penalties for understaffing. The NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association launch Read More...
Contact tracing ongoing in Queensland monkeypox cluster
Date of Posting: 30-05-2024
Ten linked cases of monkeypox have been recorded in Queensland with contact tracing underway by health authorities. The cluster is the largest recorded in the state but it is not linked to an outbreak found in Victoria last month.[subscribe] A Read More...
Hope in heartbreak as birth trauma report ushers change
Date of Posting: 30-05-2024
After her stillborn daughter Bella was taken away, Naomi Bowden had to stay in a maternity ward surrounded by labouring women and crying newborns. Then, at a six-week check-up, she was asked where her baby was by a healthcare worker who had not re Read More...
Gut health identified in combating Parkinson's disease
Last Updated: 29-05-2024
Australian researchers hope to slow or stop the progression of Parkinson's disease by targeting the gut rather than the brain. A Queensland University of Technology team has been awarded $4 million for the four-year trial that will look at com Read More...
More young women in ice rehab as health system buckles
Date of Posting: 29-05-2024
Young rural women are increasingly seeking help for ice addiction, but frontline workers say access to rehab has not improved since a landmark report on the use of the drug. Health workers had told state Labor MP Trish Doyle the use of ice was &qu Read More...
New hope to cut side effects of anti-psychotic drugs
Date of Posting: 27-05-2024
A new coating for anti-psychotic drugs mitigates weight gain as a side effect and boosts serotonin levels, offering the potential to change lives, researchers say. Researchers at the University of South Australia tested Lurasidone, a drug used in Read More...
Stop body shaming kids playing sport
Date of Posting: 26-05-2024
Swimmer Libby Trickett was training for the Commonwealth Games when a picture of her next to a confirmed drug cheat appeared on the front page of a newspaper, comparing and contrasting their bodies. "The intimation was that I was on drugs and Read More...
Pandemic treaty stalled as nations disagree on response
Date of Posting: 26-05-2024
A global treaty to fight pandemics such as Covid-19 is on hold after more than two years of negotiations as countries disagree how the world might respond to the next health emergency. After COVID-19 triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended e Read More...
Second US dairy worker infected with bird flu confirmed
Date of Posting: 23-05-2024
A second human case of bird flu has been confirmed in the United States since the virus was first detected in dairy cattle in late March, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. The infection of a dairy worker in Michigan expands t Read More...
Cardiac surgery suspended at major Melbourne hospital
Date of Posting: 23-05-2024
Cardiac surgery at one of Melbourne's busiest hospitals has been temporarily suspended due to a bypass equipment fault. Staff became aware of a technical issue involving a cardiopulmonary bypass machine at The Austin Hospital in Melbourne' Read More...
Dangerous replicas of weight-loss drug Ozempic banned
Date of Posting: 23-05-2024
Replica injectable weight-loss drugs will be banned to protect Australians from severe side effects that have led to hospitalisation. Medications that mimic appetite suppressant diabetes drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro will be prohibited from October.[ Read More...
New report outlines dementia breakthroughs over 25 years
Last Updated: 23-05-2024
A new report has highlighted more than 380 cutting edge research projects funded by more than $31 million from Dementia Australia Research Foundation, as it marks 25 years of support. In the report, More than a cure: 25 years of impact, specific p Read More...
The aged care facility creating best selling authors
Date of Posting: 23-05-2024
Proving age is no barrier to fulfilling your dreams, nor is moving into aged care, one residential community has read the room, that includes not one but two published authors, introducing a refurbished library and dedicating writing sanctuary. Be Read More...
What are the key highlights of the 2024 Australian Federal Budget regarding healthcare for the elder
Date of Posting: 22-05-2024
The 2024 Australian Federal Budget, announced on 14th May, unveiled a comprehensive plan to bolster healthcare services for older people, focusing on initiatives to support aging Australians in maintaining their independence and well-being. Here are Read More...
Spike in nightmares could be lupus warning sign
Date of Posting: 21-05-2024
A rise in the frequency of hallucinations and nightmares could be an early warning sign of autoimmune diseases like lupus, according to a study. Researchers called for doctors to ask about nightmares in the hope it could help detect when symptoms Read More...
Additional deaths probed after hospital failure claims
Date of Posting: 21-05-2024
More than 60 deaths at a major hospital will be examined after irregularities were found during investigations into accusations records were altered and legal reporting requirements not followed. Six deaths at Tasmania's Launceston General Hos Read More...
UK's blood scandal report 'a day of shame', says PM
Date of Posting: 21-05-2024
An infected blood scandal in Britain was no accident but the fault of doctors and a succession of governments that led to 3000 deaths and thousands more contracting hepatitis or HIV, a public inquiry has reported. Inquiry chair Brian Langstaff sai Read More...
Breast tissue 'breakthrough' to aid cancer research
Date of Posting: 20-05-2024
Researchers say they have managed to keep breast cancer tissue viable for at least a week outside of the human body, paving the way for enhanced cancer treatments. A new study, funded by the Prevent Breast Cancer charity, found breast tissue could Read More...
Thousands of nurses to vote on government pay offer
Date of Posting: 20-05-2024
Thousands of Victorian nurses will stop all industrial action if they vote in favour of a new "improved" pay offer from the state government. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation members closed one in four hospital beds and cancel Read More...
Health system under pressure as hospital data released
Date of Posting: 20-05-2024
Nearly half the patients arriving by ambulance to Queensland emergency departments are waiting more than 30 minutes on stretchers to be admitted. The latest public hospital performance data for January, February and March, showed 54.5 per cent of Read More...
