News Articles
Helipad still months away for major regional hospital
Date of Posting: 11-02-2023
It will be months before helicopters can once again land at a major Tasmanian hospital. Launceston General Hospital's helipad was relocated on January 1 because it no longer complied with the latest national aviation regulator requirements.[su Read More...
Northwest Tasmanian maternity service 'unsafe'
Date of Posting: 11-02-2023
Maternity services at a northwest Tasmanian hospital are unsafe and overwhelmed, forcing expectant mothers to travel while in labour, the peak body for Australian doctors claims. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says it is receiving increa Read More...
SA premier says fed budget must ease GP crisis
Date of Posting: 09-02-2023
The federal budget must include a serious plan to address the nation's GP shortage or risk leaving health in a "perpetual state of crisis", South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas says. The premier said the big issue putting press Read More...
Disabled visa children granted health support in SA
Date of Posting: 09-02-2023
Children with a disability born in Australia to parents on temporary visas will get access to help in South Australia under an $11 million program. The funding, over five years, will provide practical and therapeutic support, including the provisi Read More...
Paramedics sleep in cars amid rural housing squeeze
Date of Posting: 09-02-2023
Paramedics say they are sleeping in their cars, living in tents and caravans, or staying in pubs because of a severe housing shortage across regional and rural NSW. The Australian Paramedics Association of NSW says many rural officers cannot find Read More...
NT drive to recruit more healthcare staff
Date of Posting: 08-02-2023
The NT government will address a shortage of medical, nursing and health staff for the Territory through a new recruitment campaign. Targeting healthcare professionals in Australia and overseas, the program will be funded by a previously announced Read More...
NSW hospitals choked with elderly waiting for aged care
Date of Posting: 08-02-2023
Up to 30 per cent of patients in NSW public hospitals would be better off in more appropriate facilities such as aged care homes, the health minister says. Hospitals are increasingly being filled with patients who could be treated by a GP, as well Read More...
All adults to be offered fresh COVID-19 booster
Date of Posting: 08-02-2023
Australia's COVID-19 vaccination rollout is shifting towards a flu-style program, with all adults who haven't had the virus or a booster in the last six months eligible for another dose. Health Minister Mark Butler said the government acce Read More...
Health insurer opts to delay planned rise to premium
Date of Posting: 07-02-2023
One of the country's largest health insurance providers has held off on increasing its premiums ahead of a planned annual rise later this year. NIB said it would defer its planned increase of 2.72 per cent from the usual April 1 date until the Read More...
Being married may help prevent type 2 diabetes
Date of Posting: 07-02-2023
Being married may help prevent type 2 diabetes, regardless of whether the relationship is happy, research suggests. Previous studies have found that happy marriages confer a range of health benefits compared with being single, including a longer l Read More...
Report reveals health crisis in rural Australia
Date of Posting: 06-02-2023
Australians living in regional and remote areas are likely to die nearly two decades earlier than their city counterparts, a new report has found. The report by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) found rural Australians faced service gaps, fun Read More...
Patients warned as double strike hits UK health service
Date of Posting: 06-02-2023
UK health officials have warned the country's National Health Service is facing its worst day of disruption yet as tens of thousands of nurses and ambulance staff are set to walk out in support of pay claims. Monday's industrial action - e Read More...
'Troubling' increase in Victorian deaths by suicide
Date of Posting: 06-02-2023
Victoria has recorded its highest number of deaths by suicide in more than 20 years. There were 756 suicide deaths last year, a nine per cent increase on 2021 numbers, according to the latest coroner's report published on Monday.[subscribe] Read More...
Physios to help transform healthcare system
Date of Posting: 06-02-2023
Physiotherapists have been identified as key contributors to improving Australia's outdated healthcare system in the new report, A new Medicare - strengthening general practice, which shows the potential for allied health professionals to improve Read More...
Lab leads nanoscopic hunt for plastic in human bodies
Date of Posting: 05-02-2023
In a small metal chamber, in a metal room, in a tightly sealed Brisbane lab is one of the rarest things on earth - a space almost entirely free of plastic. Scientists have gone to extraordinary lengths to create it in a bid to answer some burning Read More...
Concussion linked to worse brain function at older age
Date of Posting: 05-02-2023
People who suffer multiple traumatic brain injuries are more likely to have worse cognitive function later on in life, new research suggests. Incidents like falls, road accidents and assaults that lead to head injuries can have long-term health ef Read More...
Calls for action to address problems in health care
Date of Posting: 05-02-2023
A Medicare review initiated by the federal government has been criticised for not providing tangible recommendations to address immediate problems in Australia's health care system. The task force made up of medical experts and patient advocat Read More...
Australia to reclassify MDMA as medicine
Date of Posting: 04-02-2023
Australia will become the first country in the world to recognise MDMA, the active ingredient in the party drug ecstacy, as a medicine for post traumatic stress disorder. From July 1, the Therapeutic Goods Administration will permit specifically-a Read More...
Medicare report puts patients at heart of reforms
Date of Posting: 04-02-2023
CANBERRA, AAP - STRENGTHENING MEDICARE TASK FORCE REPORT FINDINGS * The federal government will commit $750 million to strengthening Medicare funds at the next budget for the recommended reforms.[subscribe] * Patient-centered care is at the hea Read More...
Building resilient kids could start with a bubble
Date of Posting: 04-02-2023
Blowing bubbles could be the first step to communicating with children about trauma, helping them build back stronger after disasters. The exercise is among tips and activities included in a toolkit produced by pediatric and trauma experts and chi Read More...
Ambulance call answer times stretch out in Victoria
Date of Posting: 02-02-2023
Victoria posted Australia's worst ambulance call response times last financial year but there are signs the embattled system is beginning to rebound. The Productivity Commission released the health component of its 2023 government services rep Read More...
Regional hospital confirms maternity unit closure
Date of Posting: 02-02-2023
Pregnant women in Victoria's second-largest city will have to find a new hospital after Epworth HealthCare confirmed plans to close its maternity service in Geelong. The decision came after the hospital in November announced a proposal to clos Read More...
Off-label meds best treatment for chronic pain
Date of Posting: 02-02-2023
Drugs designed to treat depression are increasingly being used to alleviate chronic pain conditions from headaches and back pain to irritable bowel syndrome. But Australian research has revealed the most commonly prescribed antidepressant offers l Read More...
Ambulance staff in England set to strike
Date of Posting: 01-02-2023
Thousands of ambulance workers in England will carry out fresh strike action on February 10 in a dispute over pay and staffing, the UNISON trade union says. They join ambulance workers in other trade unions who plan to stage several walkouts in Fe Read More...
Gynaecologist banned after handing down false findings
Date of Posting: 01-02-2023
A gynaecologist who inaccurately told a nine-year-old girl she was the victim of sexual assault has been disqualified from registering as a health practitioner. Bruno Giorgio examined the young girl at a regional Victorian hospital in 2018 after s Read More...
Medicare, hospital funding reform on cabinet agenda
Date of Posting: 31-01-2023
A plan to overhaul the healthcare system will go before the nation's leaders this week with states and territories pushing for the Commonwealth to pick up more of the bill. The Australian Medical Association says only three of 201 public hospi Read More...
Cancer research funds rise but more needed
Date of Posting: 31-01-2023
Funding for Australian cancer research has more than tripled in the past 20 years but experts say more investment is needed to tackle the nation's leading cause of death. Some $934 million was invested in cancer research from 2018 to 2020 comp Read More...
COVID remains public health emergency
Date of Posting: 31-01-2023
COVID-19 remains a public health emergency of international concern, the World Health Organisation says, designating the disease its highest form of alert. The pandemic was likely at a "transition point" that continues to need careful ma Read More...
Health warning over banned tanning drug
Date of Posting: 30-01-2023
It's dubbed the "Barbie drug" for its promise of delivering the dual perceived beauty benefits of a bronzed tan and weight loss. If injected or used as a nasal spray, Melanotan-II can cause dramatic skin darkening as well as acting a Read More...
Genetic condition added to baby screening
Date of Posting: 30-01-2023
Babies born in Western Australia are being screened for a genetic neuromuscular condition that can be life-threatening. From Monday a check for spinal muscular atrophy will be included in the heel-prick test conducted on all newborns.[subscribe] Read More...
Millions of RATs due to expire
Date of Posting: 29-01-2023
Millions of COVID rapid antigen tests purchased by state and territory governments will expire in coming months, prompting debate about what to do with them. Analysis by the ABC showed about 5.5 million tests are due to expire in the next three mo Read More...
Search for radioactive capsule continues
Date of Posting: 29-01-2023
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine how a tiny but potentially deadly radioactive capsule got lost as it was transported from a West Australian Rio Tinto mine to Perth. An urgent search continues for the 8 by 6 millimetre unit Read More...
COVID-19 cases continue to slide
Date of Posting: 28-01-2023
COVID-19 cases in Australia have continued to drop, with the number of virus-related hospitalisations also decreasing. Federal health department data released on Friday showed an almost 27 per cent decrease in average daily infections in the week Read More...
Health by stealth: surf therapy's up
Date of Posting: 28-01-2023
The first time Joel Pilgrim took a client out on the waves could have been the end of his career as a mental health occupational therapist. Also a surfer with 28 years' experience, lifeguard and surf coach, he was trying to get through to a yo Read More...
One in three Vic paramedics injured on job
Date of Posting: 28-01-2023
Paramedics in Victoria have a higher rate of work-related injuries than other Australian workers, new research shows. About one-third of the state's paramedics have suffered injuries on the job and psychological issues are the main reason why Read More...
Alert as new mosquito-borne virus detected
Date of Posting: 26-01-2023
More cases of a dangerous mosquito-borne disease have been detected in mosquitoes in Victoria's north, prompting authorities to alert people in the area. The state's Deputy Chief Health Officer Deborah Friedman issued a warning on Wednesda Read More...
Business as usual for SA hospital
Date of Posting: 26-01-2023
The Renmark Hospital, which was saved from Murray River flooding by a major levee, has returned to full operation as water levels continue to recede. Acute inpatient admissions have resumed after being suspended in early December and aged care res Read More...
Free menstrual products in NSW schools
Date of Posting: 26-01-2023
Pads and tampons will be provided free in NSW public schools when students return to class next week. More than 4600 dispensers have been installed in public schools across the state to help girls overcome barriers in accessing menstrual hygiene p Read More...
Cheap monitors may stop COVID-19 outbreaks
Date of Posting: 25-01-2023
Cheap carbon dioxide monitors in public spaces could help identify areas carrying a higher risk of COVID-19 infection, a new study has found. The research, led by Flinders University and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Read More...
Heart shock sparks health alarm for women
Date of Posting: 25-01-2023
Women with heart disease are suffering poorer outcomes than men, with misdiagnosis and stigma about the condition sometimes delaying them getting help. As a working mother of an active toddler, Jessica had attributed her breathlessness and chest p Read More...
