News Articles
Plan to ease ambulance ramping unveiled after deaths
Date of Posting: 26-11-2023
Crisis talks have led to Queensland Health adopting a five-point, $20 million plan to address ambulance ramping after two people died in as many days. Emergency department bosses came together on Friday to discuss ways to support staff, with the l Read More...
'Vendors of death': health official blasts e-cigarettes
Date of Posting: 26-11-2023
A top health official has blasted e-cigarette makers as "vendors of death" as Victoria mulls introducing a tobacco licensing scheme. Victoria is the only Australian state without a scheme or formal plans to introduce one, with Queensland Read More...
'Life or death': rural health back under the spotlight
Date of Posting: 24-11-2023
The doors of the $60 million refurbished Inverell hospital were swung open with big promises: more staff, better treatment and care closer to home. But residents of the NSW northern tablelands farming town say the shine has worn off since the 2021 Read More...
Australian College of Nursing calls for change
Date of Posting: 24-11-2023
Nurses face a glass ceiling, preventing them from utilising their skills and training, according to Health Minister Mark Butler. Mr Butler told ABC Radio it didn’t it didn’t make sense not to have every single one of our health workers Read More...
Paramedics waiting for pay offer call premier to table
Date of Posting: 24-11-2023
No formal offer has been made to increase the pay of NSW paramedics despite months of negotiations as a union boss calls on the NSW premier and treasurer to "come out of the shadows". The state health system faces the prospect of widespr Read More...
University research shows more education is needed around women's health and menopause
Date of Posting: 24-11-2023
While awareness of menopause is increasing, workplaces have a long way to go to properly support women during this stage of life, according to research by a Griffith University professor. Griffith Department of Employment Relations and Human Resou Read More...
WHO asks China for details on respiratory outbreak
Date of Posting: 24-11-2023
The World Health Organisation has asked China for details on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children, which its China office calls a "routine" check. Chinese authorities from the National Healt Read More...
App may be a life saver for cardiac arrest victims
Date of Posting: 23-11-2023
A life-saving app, that prevented four deaths in a six-week pilot, will be rolled out across NSW. The free GoodSAM app closes the gap between triple-zero calls and the start of CPR for cadiac arrest victims by alerting registered community members Read More...
Warning to vaccinate as pre-Xmas COVID-19 cases surge
Date of Posting: 23-11-2023
A new wave of COVID-19 cases is hitting the nation, as experts warn people to remain vigilant and stay up to date with their vaccines as we enter the festive season. Associate Professor James Trauer, head of the epidemiological modelling unit at M Read More...
Rural residents have lower risk of dementia
Date of Posting: 23-11-2023
People living in country Australia have a lower risk of dementia than their city peers, possibly because they have cleaner air and more green spaces, a study suggests. An analysis of the most recent national Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers Read More...
Study finds no link between sudden death, COVID shots
Date of Posting: 22-11-2023
Indian researchers have found no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination was behind "unexplained sudden deaths", a medical organisation says, instead pointing to the disease itself, binge drinking and intense exercise as risk factors. The Ind Read More...
Hold the phone: mobiles not to blame for poor eyesight
Date of Posting: 22-11-2023
In good news for parents concerned a Tik-Tok addiction is ruining their child's eyesight, researchers say mobile phone use does not contribute to short-sightedness. The bad news is the myopia epidemic gripping the world is mainly caused by com Read More...
Urgent action needed to tackle military veteran crisis
Date of Posting: 22-11-2023
The chair of the royal commission into veteran suicides has called for urgent action as new figures outline the shocking number of former military personnel taking their own lives. There were at least 1677 deaths by suicide between 1997 and 2021 a Read More...
Australians delaying doctor visits due to rising costs
Date of Posting: 21-11-2023
The number of Australians delaying a necessary visit to their doctor has doubled, as increasing costs weigh on their hip pockets. Analysis released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday found seven per cent of Australians who needed to Read More...
New vaccines to target current COVID-19 variants
Date of Posting: 21-11-2023
The latest COVID-19 vaccines targeting common variants of the virus will be made available to Australians from next month. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler says the government has approved the monovalent vaccines, which target Omicron variants, Read More...
World-leading immune research centre signals 'new era'
Date of Posting: 21-11-2023
An Australian-first centre will rapidly accelerate immunology research by focusing on the broader immune system rather than individual diseases. The Snow Medical Research Foundation has made an initial $100 million funding commitment over 10 years Read More...
Western Australian teachers demand solutions to mental health issues among students
Date of Posting: 20-11-2023
Australian students have been experiencing a growing rate of mental health issues over the past two decades and teachers in Western Australia are feeling underqualified and underprepared to deal with these health issues. There is also growing frustra Read More...
Second report into troubled DNA lab to be handed down
Date of Posting: 20-11-2023
The findings of another inquiry into DNA testing at Queensland's troubled forensic lab are set to be released by the state government. A six-week review conducted by retired Federal Court judge Annabelle Bennett started last month looking at c Read More...
Why physios make the worst patients (but that can be a good thing)
Last Updated: 20-11-2023
Physiotherapists have a tendency to both overestimate and underestimate their own injuries, but can benefit from the experience, says physiotherapist and clinical educator, Dave Renfrew. Underestimation comes when they confuse knowledge of injurie Read More...
Cancer patch test could mean fewer painful biopsies
Date of Posting: 19-11-2023
Like most people, Gillian Mazy wasn't excited about the prospect of having a chunk of skin on her face cut out and checked for cancer. She put off having a biopsy because she was scared of going under the knife and hoped the recurring "pi Read More...
Heart patients hit the gym to dispel exercise warning
Date of Posting: 19-11-2023
Anthony Endravian had open heart surgery three times by the age of 10 and was told to avoid exercise for most of his life over fears it could do him serious harm. But he's now part of a groundbreaking effort that could turn that advice on its Read More...
Man dies after waiting for hospital bed in ambulance
Date of Posting: 19-11-2023
A Queensland grandfather has died after allegedly waiting hours in an ambulance for a hospital bed west of Brisbane. Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said a full clinical review was under way after Wayne Irving died at Ipswich Hospital early on Fr Read More...
The AI will see you now: why tech is helping doctors
Date of Posting: 17-11-2023
Artificial intelligence could prove to be a lifeline for Australian hospitals and GP surgeries, according to a leading medical technology expert who says it could ensure doctors spend less time sending faxes and more time with patients. But Micros Read More...
Past due date: no solution to midwifery insurance gap
Date of Posting: 17-11-2023
A month after the Australian College of Midwives identified a gap in professional indemnity insurance for privately practising midwives, the loophole has still not been closed. On October 17, the college notified the federal health department that Read More...
Global measles deaths jumped 40 per cent last year
Date of Posting: 17-11-2023
Measles deaths globally spiked by more than 40 per cent last year and cases rose after vaccination levels dramatically dropped during the pandemic, leading health agencies say. The highly infectious disease triggered epidemics in 37 countries last Read More...
Nursing Education in the Digital Age: Adapting to New Technologies
Date of Posting: 17-11-2023
The advancement if technologies in the healthcare sector has brought in the need to rethink how nursing professionals are trained and educated. There’s the challenge of keeping up with the changing landscape while also ensuring that nursing edu Read More...
Bleak warning after setback in medication fight
Date of Posting: 16-11-2023
Patients have been warned to stop stockpiling antibiotics and think twice about prescriptions for minor illnesses with concerns one of the most serious health challenges is getting worse. Dangerous bacteria that cause golden staph infections, gast Read More...
Car park build probed as source of fungus cluster
Date of Posting: 16-11-2023
Health authorities will investigate whether a fungal cluster at a Brisbane hospital that left five people with infections was caused by construction of a nearby car park. Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said building work could stir u Read More...
Teen binge drinking rate down ahead of schoolies events
Date of Posting: 16-11-2023
Binge drinking among 14 to 24-year-olds has decreased by 15 per cent over the past 12 months, according to a report into alcohol, tobacco and drug use by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The proportion of people in that age group ab Read More...
Paramedics issue new high stakes threat over pay deal
Date of Posting: 15-11-2023
Paramedics angry over rising expectations and sluggish pay are threatening to take the 'nuclear option' by refusing to renew their registrations, making it illegal for them to work. The novel industrial action comes as Health Minister Ryan Read More...
Pill testing trial formally on offer after deaths
Date of Posting: 15-11-2023
Experienced emergency physicians would be on standby at a music festival under an official pitch to the Victorian government to host a free pill testing trial. Harm Reduction Australia and Pill Testing Australia on Wednesday announced they formall Read More...
TikTok videos and online games could boost youth health
Date of Posting: 15-11-2023
TikTok videos, anime role-playing activities and interactive scenarios on popular online game Fortnite are among the ideas put forward by high school students to improve the health of young people. Groups of Sydney students came together this week Read More...
Make it law: young Australians want healthy environment
Date of Posting: 14-11-2023
Young Australians overwhelmingly want the right to a healthy environment enshrined in law to keep pace with standards overseas. Nine out of 10 people aged 13 to 24 think they have a right to a healthy environment, with three in four believing the Read More...
Melanoma researchers NSW Australians of the Year
Date of Posting: 14-11-2023
A pair of scientists whose groundbreaking research became deeply personal have been jointly named the 2024 Australians of the Year for NSW. Professors Richard Scolyer AO and Georgina Long AO helped take advanced melanoma from a death sentence to a Read More...
Cruise ship doctor declares dual virus outbreaks over
Date of Posting: 13-11-2023
The doctor on a cruise ship stricken by COVID-19 and gastro has declared the outbreak over, but concern remains over an uptick in cases in the broader community. The 'Grand Princess' cruise ship docked in Adelaide on Monday morning followi Read More...
First public IVF baby born in Aust program milestone
Date of Posting: 12-11-2023
The first baby has been born through a public fertility program in Australia as authorities call for more sperm and egg donations. Erin and Anthony welcomed baby Felix into the world on October 17 after he was conceived as part of Victoria's A Read More...
Labour pains: gap in midwifery insurance causing stress
Date of Posting: 12-11-2023
Giving birth can be one of the most vulnerable, exciting, magical, painful and frightening times - or combination of - in a woman's life, depending on her personal experience. So many expectant mothers like to plan their birthing journey - or Read More...
Dry-eyes no more in Australian-first treatment
Date of Posting: 12-11-2023
The phone lines at Gold Coast optometrist Shaina Zheng's clinic have been ringing non stop. That is because Ms Zheng's centre is offering an Australian-first treatment for dry-eyes disease using radio frequency and intense pulsed light tha Read More...
US surgeons announce world's first eye transplant
Date of Posting: 10-11-2023
Surgeons in New York have performed the first-ever whole-eye transplant in a human, an accomplishment being hailed as a breakthrough even though the patient has not regained sight in the eye. In the six months since the surgery, performed during a Read More...
Palliative care demand grows as population ages
Date of Posting: 10-11-2023
Demand for palliative and end-of-life care services is set to surge as Australia's population grows older. Those kinds of treatments are offered to people who live with life-limiting illnesses - such as cancer, motor neurone disease or dementi Read More...
