News Articles
Millions in illicit tobacco seized by health officials
Date of Posting: 24-03-2024
Queensland health laws targeting illegal tobacco and vaping products have netted almost five million illicit cigarettes since their introduction last year. Greater enforcement powers for health authorities have also resulted in the seizure of more Read More...
Pathology training helping build up Pacific health care
Date of Posting: 24-03-2024
Patients being tested for cancer, infectious diseases and diabetes in Ilaisaane Fonohema's home country face long and anxious delays for their results. But as a desperately needed doctor in Tonga, she is determined to help change that.[subscri Read More...
Later retirement damaging to health, wellbeing
Date of Posting: 24-03-2024
Taking away people's autonomy as to when they retire and forcing them to work until 67 to qualify for a government pension could be doing damage to their health and wellbeing. With debate current about who should pay for Australia's aged c Read More...
New vaping laws include jail time, heavy fines
Date of Posting: 21-03-2024
Young Australians are being lured by big tobacco companies to take up vaping, doctors warned, as the federal government introduced new legislation with tough penalties to combat a growing national health crisis. Health Minister Mark Butler said th Read More...
Man awarded millions after hospital causes brain damage
Date of Posting: 21-03-2024
A man has been awarded more than $2 million in compensation after suffering a stroke and brain damage resulting from improper treatment at a Queensland hospital. The man, aged in his early 70s, worked as an illustrator for major advertising firms Read More...
UK to introduce bill to phase out smoking among young
Date of Posting: 20-03-2024
The British government will introduce a bill in parliament to fulfil its promise to phase out smoking among young people by banning tobacco sales for future generations. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed unamended on Wednesday, will be one of Read More...
New Zealand to ban disposable vapes, raise fines
Date of Posting: 20-03-2024
New Zealand will ban disposable vapes and raise fines for those providing young Kiwis with e-cigarettes in a move lauded by health advocates. Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced on Wednesday the three-party coalition had agreed to p Read More...
Australia's health care system 'groaning at the seams
Date of Posting: 20-03-2024
Patients in regional and remote areas will soon receive easier access to care under a plan to unleash the full potential of the nation's nurses. Assistant Health Minister Ged Kearney introduced proposed laws to parliament on Wednesday, which w Read More...
Rural doctor banned after ignoring woman's cancer signs
Date of Posting: 19-03-2024
A country doctor has been banned from working after wrongly diagnosing a woman with glandular fever and anxiety weeks before she died of liver cancer and heart disease. The 71-year-old woman went to GP Kin Vui Tan in Lithgow, central western NSW, Read More...
Art therapy being implemented with dementia patients
Date of Posting: 18-03-2024
An aged care facility in Childers in Wide Bay, Queensland, has pioneered a unique approach to dementia care. They are using art therapy as a form of treatment for patients with dementia, and the results have been nothing short of promising, offering Read More...
'Not an easy sell': paramedics to ramp up pay dispute
Date of Posting: 18-03-2024
Victorian paramedics will scribble slogans on ambulances and not collect billing details from patients as their protracted pay dispute ramps up. The Victorian Ambulance Union will kick off industrial action from Monday morning after being unable t Read More...
Most Victorians want weed decriminalised
Date of Posting: 18-03-2024
The war on drugs should not go on against cannabis, according to a Victorian poll. More than half (54 per cent) of 1511 Victorians over 18 who took part in an online survey late last year were in favour of decriminalising cannabis and creating a r Read More...
Aussies losing more than just sweat in heatwaves
Date of Posting: 18-03-2024
Heatwaves are costing $1.6 billion annually in health, energy and productivity losses in Western Sydney and it will only get worse. That's the verdict of a new report on the region which will be home to 3.2 million people by 2036.[subscribe] Read More...
Aged-care worker wages set to rise by up to 28pc
Date of Posting: 15-03-2024
Aged-care staff are poised to get a wage rise of up to 28 per cent after the Fair Work Commission handed down a landmark decision for the sector. More than 100,000 indirect employees in the sector will enjoy a wage boost after the Health Services Read More...
Christie Brinkley reveals 'lucky' skin cancer detection
Date of Posting: 15-03-2024
US model and actor Christie Brinkley has revealed she underwent surgery for skin cancer. The 70-year-old described herself as "lucky" as she was diagnosed with a basal cell carcinoma while she accompanied her daughter on a check-up.[subs Read More...
Genetic key to likelihood of twins unlocked
Date of Posting: 15-03-2024
Women might be more likely to conceive twins thanks to their genetics - and the possibility could be identified through a simple saliva test. Brisbane mum Saskia Bollmann had no idea she would have twins until she fell pregnant.[subscribe] &quo Read More...
New genetic research to prevent chronic disease
Date of Posting: 14-03-2024
Researchers hope to reduce the burden of chronic disease by unlocking the genetic key to predict risks decades before symptoms develop for a person of any ethnicity. The landmark research will look at the risk factors of common diseases like diabe Read More...
Coroners add weight to calls for a drug testing trial
Date of Posting: 14-03-2024
Victorian coroners have thrown their weight behind calls for a drug testing trial in the state following the deaths of two men they believe unknowingly took synthetic substances. Coroners Ingrid Giles and Simon McGregor published fresh recommendat Read More...
Top 6 Common Types of Compensation Claims Explored
Last Updated: 12-03-2024
In Australia, it's quite usual for individuals to seek compensation following injuries incurred under various conditions. Such legal actions aim for a financial remedy to cover losses from physical injuries, illnesses, or mental health issues, of Read More...
Climate assessment details grim risks for Australia
Date of Posting: 12-03-2024
The nation's first climate risk assessment hints at a dystopian future for Australia if it fails to properly prepare for a multitude of threats. The assessment released on Tuesday is a first run at articulating the gamut of climate risks Austr Read More...
Wealthy Australians called on to pay more for aged care
Date of Posting: 12-03-2024
Wealthier Australians are being urged to pay more for aged care so the government can help older people with lesser means access residential and in-home services. The overall wealth of older Australians is expected to increase with the proportion Read More...
Daytime activities linked to a good night's sleep
Date of Posting: 11-03-2024
Many tired people keen to get a better night's sleep focus on changing habits before bedtime but a new study shows the key to restful slumber lies in how someone spends their day. A University of South Australia study of more than 2500 childre Read More...
Funding fix needed to help dire mental health system
Date of Posting: 11-03-2024
Leading organisations warn the NSW mental health system is on the brink of collapse due to long-term underfunding and are calling on the government to invest more in the sector. Despite enjoying the largest state budget, data shows NSW has investe Read More...
Population shift prompts blood donor plea
Date of Posting: 11-03-2024
There's a fresh plea for Australians who come from a variety of backgrounds to roll up their sleeves and donate blood after a study highlighted a shift in the nation's blood types. There are four commonly known blood types - A, AB, B and O Read More...
Birthing on Country means best start in life for babies
Date of Posting: 10-03-2024
Too many First Nations mothers and babies are being traumatised and dying during childbirth, according to Indigenous health professor Yvette Roe. First Nations women are almost twice as likely to have a preterm birth and almost four times more lik Read More...
Funding to curb long wait for women's disease diagnosis
Date of Posting: 10-03-2024
Seven years and 11 general practitioners - that's how long it took Jessica Taylor to receive an endometriosis diagnosis. From the age of 14, Ms Taylor had excruciating periods to the extent she would faint at school and wake up in an ambulance Read More...
Alcohol policies need sharper focus on gender, WHO says
Last Updated: 08-03-2024
National policies on alcohol should consider gender, the World Health Organisation says, warning the industry is increasingly targeting women who face greater health risks than men from low level drinking. The Geneva-based WHO said that there was Read More...
Ramping 'major factor' in deadly 10-hour ambo wait
Date of Posting: 08-03-2024
Emergency responders "underappreciated" the risk to a vulnerable patient who died after a 10-hour ambulance wait, a review of the incident has found. Suffering intense abdominal pain and vomiting, an ambulance was called for Eddie, a 54- Read More...
Measles cases spark alerts for airport and university
Date of Posting: 08-03-2024
A measles alert has been issued for a major airport, university, several flights and shops in Victoria. Five people have been diagnosed with the highly infectious disease, including two people travelling on planes.[subscribe] Melbourne Airport& Read More...
Spinal injuries rise due to falls and road accidents
Date of Posting: 07-03-2024
Everyday more than 53 Australians arrive in hospital suffering spinal injuries. That's according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare which found more than 19,000 people presented to emergency departments for spinal injuries and o Read More...
Women's health centres welcome vital funding boost
Date of Posting: 07-03-2024
A boost to clinics for vulnerable women will help more access health care and reduce strain on public hospitals, the NSW government says. More than $34 million announced in the state budget has now been allocated to women's health centres arou Read More...
No fish, eggs during pregnancy 'may lead to obesity
Date of Posting: 07-03-2024
Expectant mums face no shortage of advice on what they should and shouldn't eat but the latest research says excluding two foods during pregnancy could do more harm than good. Mums who do not eat cooked fish or eggs have a higher risk of havin Read More...
Can telehealth be the answer for diagnosing cerebral palsy?
Date of Posting: 07-03-2024
James Cook University PhD candidate Claire Grant has embarked on a journey to discover whether children can be diagnosed with cerebral palsy via telehealth. Working as a physio in Townsville during the COVID-19 pandemic, Grant found that the rise Read More...
Painful disease striking one in three flies under radar
Date of Posting: 05-03-2024
Deborah Knight was not yet 50 when the broadcast journalist received the shock news that she had contracted a painful and debilitating illness. Like many Australians, the Sydney-based TV and radio presenter was vaguely aware of the threat of shing Read More...
Noisier world linked to increase in hearing loss
Date of Posting: 05-03-2024
With one in seven people globally expected to have tinnitus at some point, Australian researchers are raising awareness on ways to prevent deafness and hearing loss. It is estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide have measurable hearing loss in ligh Read More...
Calls for health insurance oversight after premium rise
Date of Posting: 05-03-2024
ustralia's peak medical body wants independent oversight of price hikes to private health insurance premiums, following a more than three per cent spike. The federal government has approved an average industry premium rise of 3.03 per cent fro Read More...
Australians encouraged to continue getting booster jabs
Date of Posting: 29-02-2024
All Australian adults should continue to get COVID-19 booster jabs but children in good health need not worry, the government's vaccine advisory group says. Four years after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the nation, the virus continues to eb Read More...
'Crisis' as eating disorders cost Australia $67 billion
Date of Posting: 29-02-2024
Australia is in the midst of a "public health crisis" as the number of people with eating disorders increases, costing the country $67 billion a year. That's the verdict from charity the Butterfly Foundation, which says 1.1 million A Read More...
Vaping rates, alcohol and drug use by young women up
Date of Posting: 29-02-2024
The number of Australians smoking cigarettes continues to fall but vaping, alcohol and some illicit drugs are growing in popularity, a survey has found. E-cigarette use was most common among 18 to 24-year-olds and increased substantially from 5.3 Read More...
Vape shops could close as government eyes sales ban
Date of Posting: 28-02-2024
The sale of vapes could be banned within months with retailers coming into focus as the next battlefront in the war on vaping. The government has already banned the importation of single-use vapes and from Friday more restrictions are set to come Read More...
