News Articles
Vic doctor who scammed patients jailed
Date of Posting: 08-11-2022
A gambling addict doctor who swindled 19 people, including patients, out of almost $800,000 has been sentenced to three years in jail. Abraham Stephanson, 50, appeared in the County Court of Victoria on Tuesday after pleading guilty to 19 charges Read More...
Aust life expectancy up despite COVID
Date of Posting: 08-11-2022
Australians are living longer despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused life expectancy to drop in many of the world's richest nations. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released on Tuesday showed a girl born in 2021 could expect to li Read More...
Tip-offs fan 13 cosmetic surgery inquiries
Date of Posting: 08-11-2022
The medical regulator has launched 13 investigations into allegedly unsafe or inappropriate cosmetic surgery practices after graphic claims of malpractice. Some of 60 tip-offs received by the regulator allege providers are intimidating patients, m Read More...
Anti-ageism language guide launched
Last Updated: 07-11-2022
Anti-ageism advocacy campaign EveryAGE Counts has launched a new language guide to educate health professionals and the public to avoid ageist language when interacting with older Australians. The guide, developed in collaboration with Brisbane No Read More...
SA rolls out anti-vaping plan for schools
Date of Posting: 07-11-2022
The South Australian government is rolling out a new plan to reduce vaping among school students with more than $2 million in funding for preventative education campaigns The government will update health and physical education studies to include Read More...
NSW Labor commits $225m to Sydney hospital
Date of Posting: 07-11-2022
A new community mental health ward will make up some of at least 120 beds added to one of Sydney's busiest hospital if Labor wins the next state election. Canterbury Hospital would be expanded and upgraded with $225 million over the next three Read More...
China posts 6-month high COVID count
Date of Posting: 07-11-2022
China has reported its highest number of new COVID-19 infections in six months, a day after health officials said they were sticking with strict coronavirus curbs, likely disappointing recent investor hopes for an easing. China recorded 4610 new C Read More...
Identifying Dental Problems In Patients: A How-To Guide
Last Updated: 06-11-2022
As a dentist, your first priority should be to help your patients maintain healthy teeth and gums. After all, the health of one’s mouth can reflect the overall health of their body in the form of mouth diseases such as cavities, gum disease, an Read More...
Umpire delivers 15pct aged care wage rise
Date of Posting: 06-11-2022
The industrial umpire has awarded an interim 15 per cent pay rise to aged care workers. The Fair Work Commission said on Friday the interim increase in minimum wages of the direct care classifications in the Aged Care and SCHADS Awards, and for nu Read More...
The dire diagnosis for rural Tasmanians
Date of Posting: 06-11-2022
There is a dark expression among some in St Helens, Tasmania: "Don't have a mental health crisis between 5pm on Friday and 9am on Monday." The picturesque fishing town on the state's northeast coast, known for its sandy shores an Read More...
China's tough COVID strategy to stay
Date of Posting: 06-11-2022
China will persevere with its "dynamic-clearing" approach to COVID-19 cases as soon as they emerge, health officials say, adding measures must be implemented more precisely and meet the needs of vulnerable people. The country's stric Read More...
Aged care unions welcome interim wage bump
Date of Posting: 05-11-2022
Some aged care workers are set to receive a 15 per cent pay rise but unions say the wage increases should be bigger and spread more broadly. The pay bumps will apply to workers who directly care for people in nursing homes, but won't cover adm Read More...
COVID-19 variants: what you need to know
Date of Posting: 05-11-2022
New offshoots of the dominant BA.5 subvariant of Omicron known as BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 are gaining ground in the United States as the SARS-Cov-2 virus that triggered the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. The following describes the new coronavirus Read More...
Independent inquiry into Medicare fraud
Date of Posting: 05-11-2022
An independent inquiry has been launched to investigate fraud and waste by doctors in the Medicare system. The probe will be led by health economist and former senior public servant Pradeep Philip.[subscribe] Dr Philip will examine fraud, inapp Read More...
Deadline looms for troubled Qld hospital
Date of Posting: 04-11-2022
Queensland's troubled Mackay Hospital board has until the close of business to respond to a show cause notice and justify why it should not be dismissed. The state government extended the response deadline to Friday after a damning report into Read More...
New standard breaks silence on stillbirth
Date of Posting: 04-11-2022
Six babies are stillborn in Australia every day, leaving more than 2000 families bereaved each year. Those statistics have been the same for two decades, and the rates are much higher in Indigenous communities.[subscribe] Leading researchers ho Read More...
Cheaper medicine for thousands of seniors
Date of Posting: 04-11-2022
Thousands of seniors will be able to access cheaper medicines and doctor visits thanks to relaxed income tests for health concession cards. The Albanese government has delivered on an election promise by increasing the income thresholds on the Com Read More...
Australians to have say on new cancer plan
Date of Posting: 03-11-2022
Although Australia has some of the best health outcomes in the world, cancer is still the leading cause of death nationwide. The federal government wants to change that. About 137 Australians will die from cancer every day.[subscribe] In conjun Read More...
'Magic mushroom' drug may ease depression
Date of Posting: 03-11-2022
The psychedelic chemical in "magic mushrooms" might ease depression in some hard-to-treat patients, a preliminary study has found. The effects were modest and waned over time but they occurred with a single experimental dose in people wh Read More...
Patients at risk of repeated heart attacks
Date of Posting: 03-11-2022
At least 110 Australians suffer heart attacks every day and many do not receive the recommended medications afterwards, new research shows. Patients who have been hospitalised with chronic heart disease are more likely to have repeat cardiovascula Read More...
Disease warning as Victoria cleans up
Date of Posting: 02-11-2022
Heavy rainfall is set to ease in the coming days as emergency services and volunteers around Victoria fight to contain flood damage and assist people in need. There are 74 flood warnings in place across the state, revised down from more than 90 ye Read More...
WHO says monkeypox still health emergency
Date of Posting: 02-11-2022
The monkeypox outbreak continues to represent a global health emergency, which is the World Health Organisation's highest level of alert, the United Nations agency's Emergency Committee says. The WHO label, a "public health emergency Read More...
Viruses hitchhike on microplastics
Date of Posting: 02-11-2022
The world's microplastics problem just got worse, with Australian scientists finding the waste particles give hitchhiking viruses a free ride. The groundbreaking discovery could be very bad news given humans and animals regularly take in the t Read More...
Italy scraps hospitals COVID-19 jab rule
Date of Posting: 01-11-2022
Italy's new government has lifted the coronavirus vaccination requirement for health workers in hospitals and nursing homes. As of Tuesday, about 4000 health workers who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus will be able to work aga Read More...
UK orders poultry inside over bird flu
Date of Posting: 01-11-2022
The United Kingdom government says all poultry and captive birds in England will legally be required to be kept indoors from November 7 as part of measures to tackle the country's largest-ever outbreak of avian flu. The mandatory housing order Read More...
Interim Ambulance Victoria CEO appointed
Date of Posting: 31-10-2022
An interim chief executive of Ambulance Victoria has been appointed while the search ramps up for a permanent CEO. Professor Shelley Dolan, CEO of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, will step into the role on November 9 and is expecte Read More...
Review to probe WA's COVID-19 response
Date of Posting: 31-10-2022
An independent review will examine Western Australia's COVID-19 pandemic response as the state of emergency finally comes to its end. The emergency powers, which allow the government to take drastic measures including declaring immediate borde Read More...
Vic flood gastro fears, $130m for clean-up
Date of Posting: 30-10-2022
Victorian communities devastated by floods will be able to access up to $130 million to clear public land, just as a new gastroenteritis outbreak poses a fresh health to residents cleaning up after the disaster. The funding, announced by Climate A Read More...
Regions need to rise up after budget
Date of Posting: 30-10-2022
Inside the Macquarie Home Stay centre in Dubbo, women anxiously wait to give birth, cancer patients rest after treatment and others recover from hip and knee surgery. It is a home away from home for people who need to travel from remote areas to t Read More...
Shanghai district orders COVID lockdown
Date of Posting: 30-10-2022
China's largest city, Shanghai, is ordering mass testing on all 1.3 million residents of its Yangpu district and confining them to their homes at least until results are known. The demand is an echo of measures ordered over the summer that led Read More...
Radiologists probe astronaut brains
Date of Posting: 29-10-2022
Radiologists have probed changes to the brains of astronauts that could have significant implications for the future of human colonisation on the moon and Mars. The annual gathering of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists i Read More...
Distance driving STI check delays
Date of Posting: 29-10-2022
Distance from sexual health care, rather than socio-economic status, is the main factor preventing Australians from seeking checks for sexually transmitted infections, research suggests. The study by Alfred Health's Melbourne Sexual Health Cen Read More...
Virus-infected cruise ship docks in WA
Date of Posting: 29-10-2022
A cruise ship with COVID-19 cases on board has docked near Perth, with most passengers free to disembark after returning negative tests. The Coral Princess arrived in Fremantle on Friday, the first to visit Western Australia since a ban on large c Read More...
New centre to tackle eating disorders
Date of Posting: 28-10-2022
More than 1.2 million Australians are living with an eating disorder yet fewer than one-quarter of them are receiving evidence-based treatment, but a new research centre is offering hope. Associate professor Sarah Maguire says eating disorders are Read More...
Facebook photo sparks ambo diversity probe
Date of Posting: 28-10-2022
A Facebook post showing an all-male group of NSW elite paramedic recruits has sparked an internal investigation over whether the team has a gender diversity problem. The photos, which depict 18 new Special Operations paramedics, attracted attentio Read More...
New COVID summer spike unlikely
Date of Posting: 28-10-2022
The federal health minister does not expect summer to bring with it the steep spike in COVID cases that was experienced last year. While isolation requirements have been removed for people who have tested positive for COVID, Mark Butler said a dec Read More...
Prescription medicine costs set to lower
Date of Posting: 27-10-2022
Patients will have access to cheaper medicines at the pharmacy after new laws passed parliament. The legislation lowered the maximum general co-payment on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme by $12.50, falling from $42.50 to $30.[subscribe] The Read More...
Aust octopus venom may treat melanoma
Date of Posting: 27-10-2022
An Australian burrowing octopus species has a compound in its venom that could provide a non-toxic treatment for skin cancers, according to a study. The southern sand octopus, also known as octopus kaurna, had its peptides analysed in a pre-clinic Read More...
Qld to change mental health laws for UN
Date of Posting: 27-10-2022
Queensland will change its laws so United Nations inspectors can check in on patients being detained at mental health facilities, the premier says. A UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture on Monday suspended a tour of Australia's detention Read More...
Big cash injection for disability services
Date of Posting: 26-10-2022
Extra frontline staff and smoother paths for National Disability Insurance Scheme clients to resolve disputes have been included in the federal budget. The Albanese government's first budget, delivered on Tuesday night, outlined $166.6 billion Read More...
