News Articles
Doctor linked to baby deaths banned from practising
Date of Posting: 20-03-2023
The former director of a Victorian medical service where 11 babies died is unlikely to practice again after being banned for 10 years. Lee Gruner was a consultant director of medical services at Djerriwarrh Health at Bacchus Marsh from 2009 to 201 Read More...
New program offers dramatic outcomes for frontline workers and veterans' mental health
Date of Posting: 20-03-2023
First responders and veterans have historically required long term mental health care, primarily for PTSD and Chronic PTSD, but a new program is dramatically reducing the readmission rates for some of our most dedicated health professionals. St Jo Read More...
NSW paramedics to leave non-urgent patients at hospital
Date of Posting: 20-03-2023
Frustrated NSW paramedics are taking matters into their own hands - vowing to leave non-urgent patients at hospitals so they can get back on the road to attend emergencies. The Health Services Union says the decision is being taken to address ramp Read More...
Vaccine-derived poliovirus found in Burundi, DR Congo
Date of Posting: 19-03-2023
Health officials in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo have detected cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus, the World Health Organisation and Global Polio Eradication Initiative say. The WHO said the Burundian government had declared the d Read More...
Link found between high cholesterol and dementia risks
Date of Posting: 19-03-2023
Scientists at the Heart Research Institute say they have made a major breakthough by finding the definitive relationship between dementia and high levels of cholesterol for the first time. The researchers say the findings are significant, because Read More...
Calls to boost overseas doctor numbers in Australia
Date of Posting: 19-03-2023
International medical graduates should have their applications to work in areas of need in Australia fast-tracked, according to the nation's peak body representing general practitioners. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners ma Read More...
Calls for more sleep support for new paramedics
Date of Posting: 18-03-2023
New paramedics should be given more support and better sleep strategies to protect them from poor mental health, researchers say. Insomnia and depression increase within six months of recruits starting work, according to new research published in Read More...
Australians losing sleep over cost of living crisis
Date of Posting: 18-03-2023
Australians are losing sleep over the cost of living crisis, with one in three blaming financial pressure for their declining quality of rest. That's the finding from ResMed's global sleep survey, which has also revealed 42 per cent of Aus Read More...
Nurses to sue NSW government over staff shortages
Date of Posting: 16-03-2023
Nurses and midwives are launching legal action against the NSW government over staffing ratios they say are putting patients at risk. The NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association revealed plans on Wednesday to file the case in the Supreme Court wh Read More...
National spotlight shines on Indigenous health equality
Date of Posting: 16-03-2023
Indigenous people have experienced poor health outcomes for generations. Chronic disease, disability and mental health issues impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the country.[subscribe] First Nations people continue Read More...
Aussie women confirm benefits of Mediterranean diet
Date of Posting: 16-03-2023
Italian women are some of the world's longest-lived and new research has confirmed they owe their vitality to the food they eat. While the heart-healing benefits of the Mediterranean diet have been known for years, the impact on women specific Read More...
Indigenous sleep coach wants a score of 40 winks all
Date of Posting: 15-03-2023
Karen Chong is the world's first Indigenous sleep coach. "We are the people of the Dreamtime with the oldest continuing culture shaped by dreams, which is why I became a sleep coach and I want to train others," she said.[subscribe] Read More...
Top doctor's flu warning ahead of virus triple threat
Date of Posting: 15-03-2023
Dr Nick Coatsworth used to be the face of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, but even he is guilty of putting off getting the flu jab. The infectious diseases physician came down with a nasty bout of influenza last year and wishes he was protected soon Read More...
Third Victorian dies from Murray Valley encephalitis
Date of Posting: 15-03-2023
A third Victorian has died from the mosquito-borne Murray Valley encephalitis virus. The man aged in his 70s died earlier this month after potentially being exposed to infectious mosquitoes in the northern Campaspe Shire, the health department con Read More...
NSW coalition vows support for women after miscarriage
Date of Posting: 14-03-2023
Grieving NSW women dealing with miscarriage or the heartbreak of stillbirth will be offered more support services, if the coalition government is returned. Some $2 million in funding has been promised ahead of the March 25 election for over-the-ph Read More...
Assaults against people with disabilities underreported
Date of Posting: 14-03-2023
People living with disabilities often face sexual abuse, assault and discrimination, which creates barriers to vital support access, a federal inquiry has been told. Thousands with lived experience, including First Nations people and migrants, hav Read More...
'Unlucky prick': Giving heart attack survivors new hope
Date of Posting: 14-03-2023
Only a fraction of heart attack sufferers in Australia are lucky enough to receive a transplant, driving the need for cheaper, quicker and more reliable treatments. Sean Richardson was just 55-years-old when he encountered a sudden immense pain in Read More...
APA calls for physiotherapists to be included in Urgent Care Clinics
Last Updated: 14-03-2023
The Australian Physiotherapy Association has called on the government to include physiotherapists in newly announced Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, which would see families in South Australia and Queensland get care from a nurse or doctor without havi Read More...
Lack of mental health support for war veteran in jail
Date of Posting: 13-03-2023
On three tours of Afghanistan, Christopher James Finn saw death, destruction and human suffering. Diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, the 35-year-old former soldier requires specialist mental health treatment.[subscribe] Howev Read More...
New laws target illicit tobacco and vapes sold to kids
Date of Posting: 13-03-2023
People using vapes will not get a pass in no-smoking areas and there will be a crackdown on tobacco chop shops under new laws proposed for Queensland. There will also be an expansion of smoke-free areas, a new licensing scheme and greater restrict Read More...
Greens push for better pregnancy services in NSW
Date of Posting: 13-03-2023
The Greens are calling for free and safe pregnancy services for women in NSW including access to abortions in all public hospitals. Despite being decriminalised in the state three years ago, just two public hospitals in NSW offer abortions.[subscr Read More...
Funding to blame for lack of kids' transplants
Date of Posting: 12-03-2023
The NSW opposition has pointed the finger at the government following reports children are being put at risk because of a lack of pediatric heart transplants at The Children's Hospital at Westmead. The hospital completed five of the transplant Read More...
Parliamentary inquiry to examine vaping risks
Date of Posting: 12-03-2023
A parliamentary inquiry will look into the health risks of vaping and how many young people are using e-cigarettes in a bid to further slash smoking rates. The Queensland government on Sunday announced the inquiry to better inform people about the Read More...
Women facing coercive control over their pregnancies
Date of Posting: 12-03-2023
Jane's husband became resentful of her close relationship with their first baby, claiming she had manipulated their newborn daughter into only wanting her mother. Then Paul gave Jane an ultimatum: fall pregnant with their second child, and hav Read More...
One in five adults can't name a heart attack symptom
Date of Posting: 11-03-2023
Chest pain, shortness of breath, discomfort in the arms, neck or shoulders. Universally recognised heart attack warning signs, right? Not so for up to four million Australians apparently.[subscribe] New research shows one in five adults can' Read More...
Research shows rise in nicotine use during early COVID
Date of Posting: 11-03-2023
Australians' nicotine consumption increased significantly during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers say. Consumption increased by 30 per cent in the early stages of the virus, and was significantly higher in the first half Read More...
Patients reject life-saving heart medicine, study shows
Date of Posting: 11-03-2023
People with high cholesterol are refusing to take prescribed heart medicine, a new study has found, prompting calls for better cardiovascular health awareness. The study, which reviewed the medical data of millions of US citizens, found one in fiv Read More...
Lifeline support expands to combat record suicide rates
Date of Posting: 09-03-2023
Victorians now have access to more mental health support services following the launch of a suicide prevention helpline to combat record high rates across the state. Up to three people take their own lives every week in Victoria for various reason Read More...
Mediterranean diet may reduce prostate cancer risk
Date of Posting: 09-03-2023
Eating a Mediterranean diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables could reduce the risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer, new research suggests. Two studies by the University of South Australia have examined the role of micronutrients in pre Read More...
Caution urged when using AI to answer health questions
Date of Posting: 09-03-2023
Flinders University researchers have cautioned against the use of artificial intelligence programs to seek health advice, calling for regulators and health-care experts to be involved in developing quality standards. In a recent study, the univers Read More...
Second death from Murray Valley encephalitis confirmed
Date of Posting: 07-03-2023
A second woman has died from Murray Valley encephalitis and a man is in hospital with the virus as more suspected cases are investigated. A woman in her sixties died in late February and a man in his seventies is receiving treatment in hospital, V Read More...
Victorian health records sharing bill back for debate
Date of Posting: 07-03-2023
Contentious proposed laws to create a centralised Victorian health database are set for parliamentary scrutiny, with the opposition and crossbench pushing for changes. The Health Legislation Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill is expected to be d Read More...
Language to be no barrier for accessing HIV support
Date of Posting: 07-03-2023
Hundreds of people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities living with HIV will be better able to understand vital education material as part of a national push to improve their quality of life. Living Positive Victoria, which repre Read More...
Be safe when seeking the perfect selfie smile
Date of Posting: 05-03-2023
Bright pearly whites might look healthy but beneath the sparkling smile may lie an ugly truth. A drastic increase in at-home teeth whitening could be causing untold damage to thousands of Australians mouths, with people excessively bleaching their Read More...
More senior Australians receive cheaper healthcare
Date of Posting: 05-03-2023
New figures show thousands of senior Australians have received access to cheaper medicine and GP visits since changes late last year to the commonwealth seniors health card. Eligibility amendments to the card in November led to 10,893 people benef Read More...
Aphasia patients get chance to be 'part of life again'
Date of Posting: 05-03-2023
When Paul Fraser collapsed in his Byron Bay home he lay helpless on the floor, suddenly unable to speak. His wife Julie Brown immediately called an ambulance, knowing he was likely having a stroke.[subscribe] "He was speaking gobbledygook, Read More...
WHO 'still working to identify origins of COVID-19'
Date of Posting: 04-03-2023
The World Health Organisation is still working to identify the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, its director general says, after a US agency was reported to have assessed the pandemic had likely been caused by a Chinese laboratory leak. "I h Read More...
SA health concerned over tuberculosis outbreak
Date of Posting: 04-03-2023
A spate of tuberculosis cases on South Australia's Indigenous lands has raised concerns among health authorities. Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier and the director of SA's TB service Simone Barry travelled to the Anangu Pitjantj Read More...
Half the world 'will be overweight or obese by 2035'
Date of Posting: 04-03-2023
More than half of the world's population will be overweight or obese by 2035 without significant action, according to a report. The World Obesity Federation's 2023 atlas predicts that 51 per cent of the world, or more than four billion peo Read More...
Recent Cambodia bird flu cases 'not spread by humans'
Date of Posting: 02-03-2023
Recent cases of bird flu discovered in two Cambodian villagers, one of them fatal, show no sign of human-to-human transmission, health officials in the country say, allaying fears of a public health crisis. An 11-year-old Cambodian girl from a vil Read More...
