News Articles
New approach to suicide prevention in NSW
Date of Posting: 13-10-2022
The NSW government is renewing its approach to preventing suicide, saying lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic present an opportunity to pivot. The focus will be on people and communities, with care targeting prevention, early intervention an Read More...
Haiti cholera outbreak kills 18
Date of Posting: 13-10-2022
Civil unrest is making it harder to contain a new outbreak of cholera in Haiti just as other diseases threaten to ignite new health crises, the Pan American Health Organisation says. The Caribbean country had confirmed 18 deaths from cholera as of Read More...
Long COVID on the rise, inquiry told
Date of Posting: 13-10-2022
Long COVID clinics across the country are being inundated with requests for assessments from patients struggling with ongoing symptoms, an inquiry has heard. Doctors told the federal parliamentary inquiry into Long COVID and Repeated COVID-19 Infe Read More...
Poor nutrition is making us sick: education can drive change
Last Updated: 12-10-2022
Poor nutrition is making our nation sick. The current typical Western diet is nutrient poor and energy dense, and is one of the major causes of obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). As much as 88% of health loss in Australia and New Zealand c Read More...
Australia facing 'decade-long' GP shortage
Date of Posting: 12-10-2022
Doctors and medical students are calling for urgent funding and Medicare changes to prevent a shortage of 11,000 general practitioners over the next decade. Doctor shortages are plaguing rural communities and increasing gap fees - the difference b Read More...
Australia must tackle youth obesity crisis
Date of Posting: 12-10-2022
Screen-slave adolescents are a forgotten demographic when it comes to obesity, with better prevention strategies sorely needed. This is the key finding from a new research paper, which says adolescent obesity goes largely untreated despite its hug Read More...
NSW cancer clinics get patients' approval
Date of Posting: 12-10-2022
Cancer patients treated in NSW outpatient clinics have reported an overwhelmingly positive experience, but improvements could be made for those who speak English as a second language. Outpatient clinics diagnose cancer and provide treatment includ Read More...
NT nurses felt targeted before teen shot
Last Updated: 11-10-2022
Health workers who fled a remote Northern Territory community over safety fears hours before police shot and killed an Indigenous teenager believed they were being targeted by criminals, an inquest has been told. Kumanjayi Walker, 19, died after C Read More...
Lockdowns 'punished' west Sydney
Date of Posting: 11-10-2022
Western Sydney residents endured an unequal lockdown imposed by the NSW government during the COVID-19 Delta outbreak, a report has found. People from Sydney's most multicultural suburbs felt targeted and racially discriminated against, compar Read More...
Teen pregnancy rates rising in rural NSW
Date of Posting: 11-10-2022
There is a stark disparity between the rate of teenage pregnancy in NSW rural areas compared to girls who grow up in the city. While teenage birth rates have halved in NSW since 2011, in more than a dozen rural and remote parts of the state, the n Read More...
Living costs more stressful than pandemic
Date of Posting: 10-10-2022
Cost of living pressures have overtaken the pandemic as the greatest source of worry for Australians, according to a survey released on World Mental Health Day. Mental health charity Beyond Blue surveyed 1500 people and found inflation, rising int Read More...
Fluoridated water safe for children
Date of Posting: 10-10-2022
Having fluoride in your town's drinking water is safe and does not affect a child's development, research out of Queensland has shown. Emotional and behavioural development, memory and self control were the same in children who drank fluor Read More...
Virtual care for SA elderly to free up EDs
Date of Posting: 10-10-2022
Thousands of elderly South Australians will avoid unnecessary trips to hospital following the expansion of a virtual health service trial. Following a successful test run, SA's Virtual Care Service is being rolled out at more than 150 resident Read More...
The art and activism behind obstetrics
Date of Posting: 09-10-2022
The swinging 60s were a time of cultural and sexual revolution. Women had access to the pill and by the end of the decade, the first legal abortions would be taking place in Australia. And young Sydney woman Caroline de Costa, who at 17 had deferr Read More...
Winter viruses smash Aust health system
Date of Posting: 09-10-2022
Emergency rooms across Australia have been inundated with children struggling to breathe - and it's not because of COVID-19. Respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus and influenza, have been hitting kids more frequently and i Read More...
Concerns over 'low sugar' alcohol claims
Date of Posting: 09-10-2022
Labelling on some alcoholic drinks claiming the beverages are low in sugar is misleading some women, researchers say The women believe the drinks are also lower in alcohol and healthier compared to others without the labelling, a Cancer Council Vi Read More...
NSW first to protect traumatised workers
Last Updated: 06-10-2022
NSW has become the first state to protect workers experiencing declining mental health as a result of burnout, traumatic injury and workplace harassment. New changes to the state's work health and safety laws came into effect in October, recog Read More...
Melbourne COVID-19 quarantine hub to close
Last Updated: 06-10-2022
Victoria's "white elephant" quarantine facility will close within days as Australia's COVID-19 pandemic response continues to wind down. The $580 million purpose-built quarantine facility at Mickleham in Melbourne's outer nor Read More...
NSW hospitals 'basically Third World'
Last Updated: 06-10-2022
Western Sydney doctors have labelled NSW public hospitals "basically Third World" at a parliamentary inquiry into bottlenecks at emergency departments. Emergency medicine experts were quizzed on Wednesday at the upper house probe about & Read More...
6 Amazing Pain Relief Devices That You Need to Know About
Last Updated: 06-10-2022
Pain relief devices can be life-changing if you suffer from chronic pain that often leaves you immobile or unable to carry out your daily activities. Not only can these devices help reduce the severity of your pain, they also provide other benefits l Read More...
Half of Vic kids experience anxiety
Last Updated: 06-10-2022
Half of Victorian children are experiencing problems with anxiety, yet only one in three parents can confidently tell when their kids might need professional help, according to the Royal Children's Hospital. Parents can also only generally rec Read More...
Cold syrups, Gambia deaths 'may be linked'
Last Updated: 06-10-2022
The deaths of dozens of children in Gambia from kidney injuries may be linked to contaminated cough and cold syrups made by an Indian drug manufacturer, the World Health Organisation says. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told repor Read More...
Data flaws compromise Vic drug treatments
Last Updated: 06-10-2022
Victorians who rely on alcohol and drug treatments may be missing out on effective services because of inaccurate data, the state's public service watchdog says. The Department of Health's dataset on Victorian alcohol and drug services doe Read More...
Full medical school to open in Cairns
Last Updated: 04-10-2022
The chance for more students to complete their full six-year medical degree in Queensland's far north could help retain doctors in regional and remote areas. James Cook University will open a full medical school in Cairns from next year, with Read More...
Sexual violence rife on dating apps
Date of Posting: 04-10-2022
Dating apps need to better protect their users, after a study revealed high rates of sexual violence, stalking, assault and unwanted sharing of explicit images. The Australian Institute of Criminology survey of 9987 app users found three-quarters Read More...
New Vic hospital as Labor raises stakes
Date of Posting: 03-10-2022
Victorians in the state's east have been guaranteed a new hospital no matter who wins the upcoming state election, after Labor one-upped a coalition pledge. Premier Daniel Andrews has promised up to $675 million for a new West Gippsland hospit Read More...
Date of Posting: 03-10-2022
National cabinet's call to scrap the compulsory isolation period for people with COVID-19 is "100 per cent the right decision", NSW's premier says. Dominic Perrottet has brushed off criticism from the Australian Medical Associati Read More...
Hay fever tablet changes cell memory
Date of Posting: 03-10-2022
A daily pill can change immune cell memory and reduce allergic reactions like hay fever and thunderstorm asthma, new research shows. A study led by Monash university found Victorians who took the prescribed medication Oralair for four months in th Read More...
Monash hospital to undergo $560m expansion
Date of Posting: 02-10-2022
Nearly 6000 more Victorians will be admitted to Monash Medical Centre in Clayton every year under a proposed multimillion-dollar government hospital expansion. The state government will invest between $510 million and $560 million into the medical Read More...
Health warnings after isolation scrapped
Date of Posting: 02-10-2022
The scrapping of COVID-19 isolation rules has come too soon after a string of major events that could lead to a spike in infections, doctors say. The head of the Australian Medical Association's Victorian branch likened the government's de Read More...
Date of Posting: 02-10-2022
Australians with advanced or metastatic gastro-oesophageal cancers and those fighting advanced bladder cancer will now have cheaper access to treatments through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The federal government has expanded the PBS listin Read More...
Pandemic hit to breast cancer patients
Date of Posting: 01-10-2022
The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic brought stress and uncertainty for many Australians - but for Jayme Gurishic those feelings were exacerbated by the shock of a cancer discovery. The Melbourne legal worker's world was turned upside down w Read More...
Vic doctor's critical obstetrics failure
Date of Posting: 01-10-2022
A consultant at a Victorian hospital where a number of babies died raised the alarm about an extreme risk to its obstetric service, then failed to follow up, a tribunal has found. In 2016, a scathing review found 11 babies died in potentially avoi Read More...
Hidden surgery waiting lists a 'scandal'
Date of Posting: 01-10-2022
Elective surgery patients are waiting up to several years on hidden waiting lists to see specialists in hospital outpatient clinics, the Australian Medical Association says. Elective surgery patients can be referred to see a specialist in a public Read More...
New SA approach to preventing suicide
Date of Posting: 30-09-2022
South Australia will take a coordinated and targeted approach to suicide prevention through the establishment of Australia's first legislated Suicide Prevention Council. The group will be chaired by MP Nadia Clancy and includes clinicians, res Read More...
Weed killer detected in Australian urine
Date of Posting: 30-09-2022
One in 12 Australians have low levels of the world's most common herbicide chemical in their system, new research indicates. The Australian-first study found eight per cent of urine samples from more than 1800 Australians contained the weed ki Read More...
Parliament to investigate abortion access
Date of Posting: 29-09-2022
Abortion access in Australia will be investigated by a parliamentary committee after the federal Greens gained bipartisan support for the proposal. The cost and accessibility of contraceptives, abortions and healthcare information across the natio Read More...
Home violence toll on kids with disability
Date of Posting: 29-09-2022
Australian children with disabilities are experiencing disproportionate rates of domestic and family violence and being failed by support systems, researchers have warned. About 30 per cent of children who experience domestic violence have a disab Read More...
Health bidding war fires up for Vic poll
Date of Posting: 29-09-2022
A health bidding war has escalated ahead of the Victorian election, with both major parties committing hundreds of millions to boost staff numbers and public aged care sites. The Victorian coalition's long-awaited healthcare workforce plan, un Read More...
More GP funding needed for nation's health
Date of Posting: 28-09-2022
Doctor's fees will rise and general practices will close across the country unless government boosts investment in the sector, Australia's peak body for GPs says. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners on Wednesday released Read More...
