News Articles
'Secure' My Health app brings records to mobile devices
Date of Posting: 02-03-2023
Digital health record information will now be accessible on a new mobile app. Information such as pathology results, vaccine histories and hospital discharge summaries will be available through the My Health app, being rolled out by the Australian Read More...
More than 104,000 wait to see health specialist in Qld
Date of Posting: 02-03-2023
The number of Queensland patients waiting longer than clinically recommended to see a specialist in public hospitals has surged more than 80 per cent to 104,000 in a year, according to the auditor-general. The Queensland Audit Office also revealed Read More...
Cough syrups, lozenges recalled due to safety risk
Last Updated: 01-03-2023
Cough medicines containing pholcodine are being recalled from Australian pharmacies due to safety concerns. The Therapeutic Goods Administration on Tuesday cancelled the 55 products from the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and ordered the Read More...
Ambulance call-outs hit decade high in NSW
Date of Posting: 01-03-2023
The number of ambulance call-outs in NSW reached at least a decade high in the final quarter of last year, with emergency departments also experiencing near-record demand. Authorities continue to urge patients to keep emergency departments for eme Read More...
More funding, uniform law needed to fix abortion access
Date of Posting: 01-03-2023
Abortion laws across Australian jurisdictions must be harmonised to ensure equitable access for all pregnant people, a leading provider says. A parliamentary committee investigating universal access to reproductive care is examining barriers to co Read More...
Drop in premature births during COVID lockdowns
Date of Posting: 28-02-2023
There were fewer premature births around the world during the first four months of COVID-19 lockdowns. A study of 52 million births in 26 countries found a three to four per cent drop in preterm births - defined as birth before 37 weeks gestation Read More...
Fresh push to stop 'silent pandemic' of superbugs
Date of Posting: 28-02-2023
There are fears a "silent pandemic" of antimicrobial resistance could kill millions globally within decades, prompting a plea for greater action in Australia. The overuse or misuse of antibiotics can lead to medication becoming ineffecti Read More...
Victoria boosts Japanese encephalitis vax eligibility
Date of Posting: 28-02-2023
Japanese encephalitis has infected more Victorians than first thought, the state's health department says, as it opens vaccine eligibility to more local government areas. The department has estimated about one in 30 people in affected northern Read More...
Ministers agree to public hospital funding review
Last Updated: 26-02-2023
Taking the pressure off public hospitals will be the subject of an independent review agreed by health ministers. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler met with his state and territory counterparts in Brisbane on Friday, agreeing to former health bu Read More...
WHO working with Cambodia on 'worrying' bird flu
Date of Posting: 26-02-2023
The World Health Organisation is working with the Cambodian authorities after two confirmed human cases of H5N1 bird flu were found among one family in the country. Describing the situation as "worrying" due to the recent rise in cases i Read More...
NSW doctors in 'Hunger Games' fight for resources
Date of Posting: 26-02-2023
Urgent action is needed to address a workforce collapse in NSW, as doctors say they are competing for resources in a "healthcare Hunger Games". "Doctors are abandoning the NSW health system - fed up, burnt out, and attracted by bett Read More...
Virus cases rise as mandatory reporting ends
Date of Posting: 25-02-2023
National COVID-19 cases have risen slightly in the final week before mandatory reporting of positive cases comes to an end in Australia. The ACT government on Thursday confirmed it would remove its requirement for residents to disclose COVID-19 in Read More...
Queensland the first state to roll out pill testing
Date of Posting: 25-02-2023
Queensland will become the first Australian state to roll out pill-testing sites in an attempt to curb the harmful effects of illicit drugs. The move will shift the country more in line with global standards on harm minimisation, one advocate says Read More...
Study backs exercise as mental health treatment
Date of Posting: 25-02-2023
Exercise is better than counselling and medications for managing depression and should be used as a mainstay approach, new research has found. The University of South Australia looked at 97 reviews on the benefits of exercise which involved 1039 t Read More...
First measles case in four years sparks contact tracing
Date of Posting: 23-02-2023
Tasmania has recorded its first measles case in four years, a person who recently returned from travelling overseas. The person, in their late 20s, tested positive on Wednesday and is in isolation in the Launceston General Hospital.[subscribe] Read More...
Dental care waiting times drop but are still too high
Date of Posting: 23-02-2023
The time Victorians wait for public dental treatment has dropped to just over 16 months on average, which is still too high. While it's the lowest overall wait time since 2016-17 it should be less than a year, according to Australian Dental As Read More...
Dementia now afflicts more seniors than heart disease
Date of Posting: 23-02-2023
Dementia has overtaken coronary heart disease as the leading cause of illness, injury and death among Australians aged 65 and over. Last year, the neurological disorder was responsible for nearly 230,000 years of healthy life lost, marking a 61 pe Read More...
Satisfying relationships are good for women's health
Date of Posting: 22-02-2023
Toxic relationships really can be as bad for women's health as obesity, physical inactivity or overindulging in alcohol, a study has found. According to the University of Queensland study, the secret to health and wellbeing could be a quality Read More...
Staying fit and active 'best way to stave off dementia'
Last Updated: 22-02-2023
Staying active throughout adulthood could help stave off dementia though even smaller bouts of exercise may help, British research suggests. A long-term study found that people who exercise as they age are more likely to have good brain health tha Read More...
More young Indigenous Victorians dying by suicide
Date of Posting: 22-02-2023
Indigenous Victorians are dying by suicide at a rate nearly three times higher than non-Indigenous people, new data shows. About 108 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people took their own lives between 2018 and 2022 compared to 3429 non-Indig Read More...
The time is now to discuss future health care preferences
Last Updated: 20-02-2023
As health professionals, we know that health does not always run according to plan. Treatment may be needed when an individual is unable to participate in their own decision-making. This is especially true at the end of life with over 50 percent of p Read More...
11% of First Nation babies missed in birth data
Last Updated: 20-02-2023
A study from the Royal Women’s Hospital and La Trobe University confirms Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander families receive high standards of care when patients are correctly identified. However, new data reveals that 11 per cent of Fir Read More...
Mixed reactions to proposed pharmacy prescription trial
Date of Posting: 20-02-2023
Health Minister Mark Butler has welcomed a trial allowing pharmacists to prescribe the contraceptive pill as an innovative solution to address health care constraints. If re-elected in March, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has promised a $5 million Read More...
More virus vaccines rolled out in South Australia
Last Updated: 20-02-2023
South Australia has begun rolling out additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as local research confirms those who are unvaccinated face a higher risk of serious illness or death. The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute analyse Read More...
Taxi company charged over deaths of wheelchair users
Date of Posting: 20-02-2023
A taxi company has been charged over the deaths of two passengers whose wheelchairs tipped backwards during separate incidents in northern Victoria. Echuca-Moama Taxi Group is facing four charges brought by WorkSafe of failing to ensure people oth Read More...
Remote SA health service to check on vital signs
Date of Posting: 19-02-2023
A remote health monitoring service has been established across regional South Australia with a view to reducing hospital admissions. Eligible patients will be able to have their vital signs measured at home using a special kit with results assesse Read More...
Aussies save millions from cheaper medicines policy
Date of Posting: 19-02-2023
More than 1.6 million discounted prescriptions were filled in January after the maximum co-payment for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme was discounted. The gap reduction from $42.50 to $30 means a person on a single medication a month could save Read More...
Australia's first heart hospital to open in Melbourne
Date of Posting: 19-02-2023
Australia's first dedicated heart hospital is set to open in Melbourne, more than eight years after it became a key state election issue. Premier Daniel Andrews and Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas toured the new Victorian Heart Hospital in Cl Read More...
National plan to tackle long COVID being developed
Date of Posting: 18-02-2023
Australia's top doctor has confirmed federal health officials are developing an official strategy in how to deal with cases of long COVID. Speaking before a parliamentary inquiry, chief medical officer Paul Kelly said the health department had Read More...
National register will stop 'prolific' sperm donors
Last Updated: 18-02-2023
A national sperm donation register would stop "prolific" sperm donors from creating more families than legally allowed, a peak fertility body says. The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand is concerned online services are helpi Read More...
Why partners could hamper smokers' attempts to quit
Date of Posting: 18-02-2023
People looking to give up cigarettes are much more likely to succeed if they don't live with other smokers, a study suggests. The study looked at a 10-year period and predicted the number of people smoking would fall by 43 per cent across the Read More...
Doctors reported for inappropriate conduct rising
Date of Posting: 16-02-2023
The head of Australia's health watchdog admits the number of doctors being reported for inappropriate behaviour has been increasing for several years. Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency chief executive Martin Fletcher told a Sena Read More...
Nursing Careers: From The Hospital to the Community and Beyond
Date of Posting: 16-02-2023
Nursing is one of the fastest growing professions in the world and has been ranked as the most trusted profession for 17 consecutive years. This demand for nurses has been driven by an aging population, advances in technology, and a growing focus on Read More...
Scientists develop new vaccine for encephalitis in pigs
Date of Posting: 16-02-2023
The spread of Japanese encephalitis in Australia could slow thanks to a new novel vaccine aimed at domesticated pigs. Severe disease from JEV is rare but potentially fatal in humans, and while it cannot be passed from pigs to people, mosquitoes ca Read More...
Improved analysis reveals higher rates of self-harm
Date of Posting: 16-02-2023
NSW has a clearer picture of how often people self-harm after a new technique tracked down 140 per cent more suicide-related hospital presentations. While standard diagnostic codes used by doctors showed about 21,000 cases from 2016 to 2020, Grant Read More...
Overworked, burned-out NSW nurses planning to quit
Date of Posting: 15-02-2023
The impact of COVID-19 and increased workloads are affecting NSW nurses' mental health and wellbeing, and one in three are planning to quit their jobs in the next year. A survey of 2300 nurses commissioned by the NSW Nurses and Midwives' A Read More...
Victorian children waiting longer for elective surgery
Date of Posting: 15-02-2023
Elective surgery wait times have increased at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital, with some waiting more than a year for treatment. Victoria's latest health performance data for the last quarter of 2022 showed the average wait time Read More...
'Alarm bells' as remote Australians live shorter lives
Date of Posting: 15-02-2023
People in remote NSW have far shorter lives than city-dwellers and are much more likely to die from preventable illnesses or suicide. The Australia Institute has revealed the alarming life expectancy divide between the city and the bush in a repor Read More...
Young leaders at the front line of ending youth suicide
Last Updated: 14-02-2023
A teenager came to Marlie Thomas looking for help, worn down by years of trauma, unable to speak or look anyone in the eye. Ms Thomas, a rural mental health support worker, was once that girl.[subscribe] "Young people walk through the door Read More...
Nine in 10 support action to stop children vaping
Date of Posting: 14-02-2023
Almost nine in 10 Australian adults believe the government should take action to prevent young people from becoming addicted to e-cigarettes, a report says. The finding out of the Cancer Council Victoria's Centre for Behavioural Research in Ca Read More...
