News Articles
The preventable disease killing First Nations people
Date of Posting: 05-09-2023
Two Indigenous people are dying each week of an entirely preventable heart disease. When most people pick up the Strep A bacteria, it's a simple case of being treated by antibiotics.[subscribe] Rheumatic heart disease starts from a sore thr Read More...
Stronger botox and filler safeguards on the cards
Date of Posting: 05-09-2023
There's a fresh crackdown on advertising and regulations for botox, fillers and other cosmetic procedures. All registered practitioners will be expected to adhere to new rules around treatments and how they are advertised in early 2024, with c Read More...
Huffy puffy pollies get physical for a healthy cause
Date of Posting: 05-09-2023
Politicians will sweat it out in a new, apolitical arena to prove they are "fit" for office. A host of federal MPs, senators and staffers will take part in AUSactive's four-week cardio challenge to promote the importance of regular p Read More...
Pressure ramps up as paramedics waste years waiting
Date of Posting: 04-09-2023
The federal government must step up and do more to stop paramedics wasting years waiting for patients to be seen in hospitals, according to Victoria's health minister. Ambulance Victoria documents obtained by The Age newspaper show staff spent Read More...
Knowledge empowers women to avoid birth trauma
Date of Posting: 04-09-2023
Women need to be empowered with information about what could go wrong during childbirth so they're not meeting a doctor for the first time in a terrifying emergency situation, an inquiry has been told. The NSW parliamentary inquiry is investig Read More...
Lung disease to worsen with climate change
Date of Posting: 04-09-2023
People with lung conditions are among those most at risk from the changing climate, a group of respiratory experts says. They are calling for urgent action to stop climate change and reduce air pollution.[subscribe] High temperatures, changing Read More...
New prescription policy means cheaper medicines
Date of Posting: 01-09-2023
CANBERRA, AAP - CHANGES TO MEDICINES * Australians living with an ongoing health condition can now get two months' worth of medicine for the price of one.[subscribe] * The initial list of 60-day dispensed medicines include treatments for pe Read More...
Births are traumatising women in 'men-designed system'
Date of Posting: 01-09-2023
A senior obstetrician says more than one in three women experience birth trauma in hospitals, and over-stretched rural health services can't keep up. Maria Luna Ramirez said she was often involved in debriefing women and families after traumat Read More...
COVID pandemic visas to be locked down from 2024
Date of Posting: 01-09-2023
The pandemic event visa that allowed overseas workers and students and their families to stay in Australia during COVID-19 is being scrapped. The visa will only be open to applicants who are already on the arrangement from September 2 and will be Read More...
Poor pelvic health an issue for thousands of Australian women
Date of Posting: 31-08-2023
It might not be widely spoken about, but it is a very common and devastating problem for thousands of Australian women – poor pelvic health. While the data is minimal, a 2-year study was conducted on the Gold Coast analysing 2,800 women. All we Read More...
NSW wards to get more nurses under new agreement
Date of Posting: 31-08-2023
More nurses will be placed in NSW hospital wards under a new agreement affirming the government's pre-election commitment to "safe staffing levels". Under the agreement, ratios of at least one nurse to three patients would be introdu Read More...
Daffodils a symbol of cancer hope in dreary CBD
Date of Posting: 31-08-2023
Tania Kelly looked forward to Daffodil Day each year, then everything changed. The 55-year-old was diagnosed with bowel cancer on the day of the national fundraiser in 2022, and went on to have surgery to remove a lesion before she experienced sev Read More...
Voice campaigner makes plea for better health services
Date of Posting: 31-08-2023
AFL executive Tanya Hosch has spoken of her lower leg amputation while delivering an emotional speech in support of an Indigenous voice. Rising from her wheelchair to stand at a podium, Ms Hosch told the launch of the referendum in Adelaide on Wed Read More...
Bush maternity decline a red flag for rural health care
Date of Posting: 30-08-2023
When a rural town loses its maternity unit, operating theatres are often the next to go, then the emergency department, then local doctors and nurses. That's the warning from the Rural Doctors Association of Australia after health leaders met Read More...
England to roll out world-first seven-minute cancer jab
Date of Posting: 30-08-2023
Britain's state-run National Health Service will be the first in the world to offer an injection that treats cancer to hundreds of patients in England which could cut treatment times by up to three quarters. Following approval from the Medicin Read More...
Python parasite found in woman's brain in world first
Date of Posting: 29-08-2023
Doctors have pulled a live and wriggling eight-centimetre parasite from an Australian woman's brain after she caught it from a carpet python in an apparent world first. The 64-year-old woman from southeast NSW was admitted to a local hospital Read More...
Cruise passengers wave goodbye to COVID restrictions
Date of Posting: 29-08-2023
Cruise ship passengers will be able to sail unimpeded around the country as state leaders scrap COVID-19 restrictions for passengers. The NSW government on Monday formally ended COVID-19 restrictions for passengers in the cruising industry followi Read More...
Doctor strikes aggravate health care collapse in Sudan
Date of Posting: 28-08-2023
The army-controlled coastal city of Port Sudan has become a refuge from the war raging to the west, but its health system is in near collapse due to power cuts and scarce supplies - and staff shortages now exacerbated by striking doctors. Doctors Read More...
Hospital charged over aged care resident chair failure
Date of Posting: 28-08-2023
A Victorian hospital has been charged after an aged care resident fractured her rib while sitting on a malfunctioning reclining chair. The 93-year-old resident fell when the back of the chair detached as a staff member tried to move it in October Read More...
Drug overdose deaths remain at 'crisis' levels
Date of Posting: 28-08-2023
Every four hours an Australian is dying of a drug overdose, prompting a renewed call for urgent action to combat the long-term crisis. An annual report by public health research group Penington Institute shows there were 2231 drug-induced deaths r Read More...
Australia isn't ready to grow old, experts warn
Date of Posting: 27-08-2023
The country that used to sing about being "young and free" has begun to grow old, and it isn't ready for its next stage of life. The sixth Intergenerational Report, released on Thursday, revealed the number of Australians aged 65 and Read More...
Researchers want governments to raise smoking age to 22
Last Updated: 27-08-2023
Young people should be banned from buying tobacco products until they are 22, researchers have suggested after a study found those who start smoking before the age of 20 find it more difficult to quit. Scientists said a rise in the minimum age by Read More...
Swim alert as blindness-causing organism found in water
Date of Posting: 25-08-2023
An ocean-dwelling microorganism linked to blindness-inducing infections in one in four swimmers has been spotted lurking in coastal waters in NSW. The microscopic life form Acanthamoeba feeds on cells in the eye, leading to inflammation and, in ra Read More...
'Disappearing' universal healthcare in inquiry's sights
Date of Posting: 25-08-2023
A far-reaching investigation into NSW health services will probe shortfalls in the multibillion-dollar system to help cut waste and make better use of staff and funding. The special commission of inquiry was announced on Thursday by Health Ministe Read More...
Govt invests $18m to address FASD in central Australia
Date of Posting: 24-08-2023
The federal government is investing $18.4 million to help children in central Australia with neurodevelopmental issues. Donna Ah-Chee, chief executive of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, a health organisation based in Alice Springs, sai Read More...
Chief midwife, funding boost for Qld maternity services
Date of Posting: 24-08-2023
Queensland is creating a new position of chief midwife and has promised to expand maternity services following demands for action over staffing shortages. Health Minister Shannon Fentiman announced the $16 million plan over four years after meetin Read More...
NSW to scrap 'arcane' cruise vaccine, mask mandates
Date of Posting: 24-08-2023
Vaccine and mask mandates could soon be scrapped on cruise ships in NSW in an attempt to help revive the billion-dollar injection into the tourism economy. The NSW government is pushing a key federal advisory body to approve dropping requirements Read More...
Victorian paramedics caught up in intranet data breach
Date of Posting: 23-08-2023
Ambulance Victoria will audit its intranet security after unauthorised workers were able to access private staff information. The organisation was notified late on Monday afternoon that access restrictions were mistakenly lifted in a section of th Read More...
One billion people could have osteoarthritis by 2050
Date of Posting: 23-08-2023
The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis, affects 15 per cent of the global population over the age of 30 and it is estimated that by 2050 nearly one billion people will have the condition, researchers say. Obesity is a major contributor Read More...
Payout for kids in SA hospital hearing implant bungle
Date of Posting: 23-08-2023
The South Australian government will pay compensation to the families of more than 200 children caught up in the Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital cochlear implant bungle. The decision follows the release of an independent review on Read More...
Online retailers mislead on 'egg timer' fertility test
Date of Posting: 22-08-2023
Websites selling home fertility tests are making misleading claims about their usefulness and could influence plans to conceive, researchers warn. The 'egg timer' tests measure the level of anti-Mullerian hormone in the blood, a hormone pr Read More...
'Sadistic': UK nurse jailed for life after baby murders
Date of Posting: 22-08-2023
A former neonatal nurse who killed seven babies and tried to kill six others at a hospital in northern England has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of release. Lucy Letby, who refused to appear in court to face grieving parents who Read More...
New Zealand doctors, dentists vote to strike
Date of Posting: 22-08-2023
Thousands of New Zealand doctors and dentists have voted to strike next month, giving the government a fresh headache in an election campaign. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) is issuing strike notices on Monday after a ballo Read More...
Midwives call for action amid national shortage
Date of Posting: 22-08-2023
Angry midwives stormed Parliament House this month to protest the Palaszczuk government’s budget failure, amid national midwife shortages threatening to plunge the sector into further crisis. The Queensland government provided $42 million in Read More...
Midwife diversity leads to greater health outcomes for First Nations women and babies
Date of Posting: 22-08-2023
Greater diversity within the midwifery sector is necessary to address staff shortages as well as improve outcomes for Indigenous and culturally diverse mothers and babies, experts say. Associate Professor Amanda Carter said studying midwifery thro Read More...
Angry regional midwives rally for better resources
Date of Posting: 21-08-2023
Queensland's health minister will meet with representatives of the state's midwives this week as they march on parliament to highlight unsafe conditions. Regional midwives frustrated with the Palaszczuk government's budget failure to c Read More...
Australian research prompts updated malaria net advice
Date of Posting: 20-08-2023
Work by Australian researchers has prompted the World Health Organisation to update its recommendations for malaria-preventing mosquito nets. Dr Timothy Barker from the University of Adelaide led a team which proved the effectiveness of a new comb Read More...
Study casts doubt on benefits of blue light blockers
Date of Posting: 18-08-2023
Blue blockers seem to do little to protect against eye strain while people stare at digital screens, at least in the short term, scientists warn. A University of Melbourne review has cast doubt on the promoted benefits of the light-filtering lense Read More...
Boost for spinal unit after concerns about patient care
Date of Posting: 18-08-2023
Queensland's only dedicated spinal unit will stay put and receive a funding boost following concerns about patient care and a lack of resources. The Palaszczuk government is promising $20 million towards "immediate" improvements to t Read More...
Pandemic drives uptick in Australia's health workforce
Date of Posting: 18-08-2023
The COVID-19 pandemic has swelled Australia's health workforce, with more than 140,000 people registering as new practitioners in the past four years. There are now 877,119 people registered across the various health professions, Australian He Read More...
