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Local news
WEEK COMMENCING 16 MAY 2009
Flu alert level up as virus spreads
23 May 2009
Australian authorities have raised the alert level and are now trying to ''contain'' the spread of swine flu, which could lead to more school closures and the wider distribution of antiviral drugs. Officials reported yesterday that 12 people had been infected with A(H1N1) so far and they had detected the first human-to-human transmission on Australian soil. As a result, Health Minister Nicola Roxon announced the alert level would be raised from ''delay'' to ''contain''.
$76m to help health catch up: Roxon
22 May 2009
Rockhampton Hospital is preparing for the possible arrival of swine flu as a seventh person was yesterday confirmed with the disease.
Health Minister inspects Rockhampton Hospital upgrade
21 May 2009
The Federal Health Minister says a $76 million dollar contribution to the Rockhampton Hospital will go along way to improving health services in Central Queensland.
Health Minister inspects Rockhampton Hospital upgrade
21 May 2009
The Federal Health Minister says a $76 million dollar contribution to the Rockhampton Hospital will go along way to improving health services in Central Queensland.
Nurse practitioners, physicians' assistants filling void
20 May 2009
For tens of millions of Americans, the most familiar primary care provider is not a doctor, but a nurse practitioner or physician assistant.
School closed after brothers catch swine flu
21 May 2009
A Melbourne school will close for the rest of the week to stop the spread of swine flu. Three brothers tested positive to the virus yesterday after returning from a family holiday in Los Angeles.
Hard cell is not working
21 May 2009
Please, if you are under 25, don't assume what follows here is simply the self-righteous preaching of some silly old bloke from the days when cars had crank handles. Try to help us all here because if you are between 20 and 24 you are at more risk than anybody of being sent to jail for culpable driving causing death, and with a little thought you might be able to help save lives.
AMAQ airs concerns over Govt maternity plans
21 May 2009
The Australian Medical Association of Queensland (AMAQ) says the success of a Federal Government plan to improve regional access to maternity services will depend on the availability of medical professionals. The Commonwealth will fund partnerships between doctors and midwives, and let midwives perform more tasks to keep maternity services in regional areas. AMAQ's Dr Chris Davis says patient safety is a major concern.
Fourth swine flu case confirmed
21 May 2009
A 51-year-old Mexican woman visiting Melbourne has become the sixth confirmed case of swine flu in Australia. The woman became ill on Tuesday, two days after arriving in Melbourne.
Roxon: Post-Budget Speech, Australian Institute of Policy and Science
Thursday 14 May 2009
Merck mocked idea of risk, court told
20 May 2009
Drug company Merck made fun of alleged cardiovascular risks attached to its anti-arthritis drug Vioxx in a marketing team skit, a court has heard.
New RACP policy recommends children and adolescents retain specialist, stand-alone healthcare services
20 May 2009
Concern over the increasing practice of children being co-located with adults within the hospital environment has prompted The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) to recommend that separate, specialist facilities and staff be retained for children/adolescents and adults.
Country women to get better access to maternity care
20 May 2009
Grateful Queensland women may no longer be forced to travel to the city to have their babies under sweeping Rudd Government reforms. Today in Cairns, Health Minister Nicola Roxon will reveal a new direction in policies for rural and regional Queenslanders designed to tackle doctors' shortages, access to cancer services and better access to maternity care.
Govt faces backlash over eye surgery plan
19 May 2009
Regional community leaders are calling on the Federal Government to rethink its decision to cut the Medicare rebate for cataract operations.
WA practices get cash to extend hours
19 May 2009
The State Government will offer general practitioners across Western Australia cash incentives to encourage them to extend their opening hours on weekdays and weekends, in a bid to reduce emergency department waiting times. Under the scheme general practices would be offered up to $100,000 a year to provide services from 8pm until midnight.
Roxon: National Hepatitis Week
19 May 2009
Today marks the beginning of National Hepatitis Awareness Week - a time to improve Australians' understanding of the causes of hepatitis B and C and how these conditions can be prevented.
Drug companies to face another dose of pricing pain
19 May 2009
Drug companies will be put on notice that next year's budget could bring more pain, with the Government set to decide late this year whether pricing reforms have gone far enough. Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon will tell drug manufacturers today that industry discounts and incentives for pharmacists are still adding too much to medicine prices for patients, and company profits will be targeted if the practice continues.
Nurses paid to scout for Vioxx drug firm
19 May 2009
Australian marketing staff from pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co paid specialist nurses half-a-million dollars to "hunt" through patient records for potential candidates for their blockbuster anti-arthritis drug Vioxx. The Federal Court was told the company aimed to identify 100 patients of each targeted general practitioner who were not taking Vioxx and could be recommended to take up the drug for their condition.
AMA: Rural health a bright spot in budget
18 May 2009
Measures contained in the budget will help attract and retain more doctors to rural and remote areas, the AMA said today.
Aussie family cleared of swine flu
17 May 2009
An Australian family suspected of having swine flu has been cleared, Health Minister Nicola Roxon said today. There have been confirmed cases of the potentially deadly virus in 36 countries, including Australia, with 65 deaths worldwide and 8500 cases of the illness.
Midwives to benefit from laws
16 May 2009
Midwives will no longer be simply the handmaidens of doctors, under new Federal Government laws that will allow them access to prescribed, subsidised drugs. Under the budget plan, access to the PBS scheme and Medicare billing would be restricted to those who had completed advanced practitioner midwife studies.
Cigarette increase was on the cards
16 May 2009
The plan of the Opposition Leader, Malcolm Turnbull, for an increase in cigarette tax has pre-empted moves by the Government, which was expected to announce such a move as a preventive health measure.
Faulty kits not ours: Rotary
15 May 2009
Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon has raised concerns about test results that have been given to recent recipients of bowel cancer screenings.The accuracy of results that were obtained as part of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program using kits imported from Japan are now being questioned.
Roxon: Bulk-billed Medicare services increase
15 May 2009
In the March quarter 2009, 79.4 per cent of non-referred (GP) attendances were bulk billed, up 0.4 of a percentage point on the December quarter 2008 and up 0.9 of a percentage point on the March quarter 2008.
Stephen Leeder calls for some clarity in the private health insurance muddle
15 May 2009
I’ve been struck by how public debate has framed changes to the private health insurance rebate as “an attack on middle class welfare”. This distracts attention from the arguably more important issue that PHI is considered by many to be an inefficient, inequitable way of funding health care. It also seems to undermine community understanding of the importance of universality in health care, and perpetuates the notion of health care as a private good rather than something that confers many public benefits.
National hand hygiene program aims to halve hospital superbug infections
5 May 2009
A new world-first national hand hygiene program is being rolled out across Australian hospitals in a bid to halve the rate of antibiotic-resistant ‘superbug’ patient infections.
International news
Suburban nursing schools expand to fill need
22 May 2009
Ask any of the area community colleges and four-year universities, and the answer is the same: the degree programs drawing the most interest right now are in health care, and more specifically, nursing. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of jobs for registered nurses is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations, through 2016.
US: Embittered are haters, hellbent on revenge
21 May 2009
Bitterness is so common - and so deeply destructive - that some psychiatrists are urging it be identified as a mental illness under the name "post-traumatic embitterment disorder". The behaviour was discussed before an enthusiastic audience on Monday at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association meeting in San Francisco.
Japan swine flu cases near 300, Canada tally spikes
21 May 2009
The number of swine flu cases in Japan soared towards 300 Thursday and Canada announced a big jump in infections as the global epidemic showed no signs of letting up. Local media said 281 cases of the (A)H1N1 virus had been confirmed in Japan, including two cases in Tokyo - the world's largest urban area, home to about 36 million people - as Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso urged calm.
US: Nurse, 88, regarded as pioneer at Doctor's Hospital in Coral Gables
21 May 2009
Jan Fallin's friends and co-workers describe her as independent. The 88-year-old walks to the Dadeland Publix and back with bags in hand to her North Kendall apartment. If something falls to the ground at work, she's the first to pick it up. And because of her independent attitude and desire to do things herself, she continues to enjoy the profession she's been doing for 70 years.
CANADA: Isotope shortage could lead to medical test delays
20 May 2009
The shutdown of Ontario's Chalk River nuclear reactor could have "dire" implications if it overlaps with the scheduled shutdown of a European reactor that also produces the vital medical isotopes, according to one expert. The problem-plagued Ontario reactor has been shutdown over a heavy water leak that was discovered last week. The closure is expected to last a month, and to create a major shortage in the global supply of the isotopes used for medical imaging and treatment.
UK: Too much cola zaps muscle power
19 May 2009
Excessive cola consumption can lead to anything from mild weakness to profound muscle paralysis, doctors are warning. This is because the drink can cause blood potassium to drop dangerously low, they report in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.
US: Nurse-developed protocols help hospitals decrease MRSA rates
18 May 18, 2009
In contrast to the widely publicized reports of the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in hospital settings in recent years, a new study finds a striking bit of success in fighting the bacteria.
UK: Sick Welsh babies' 'greater risk'
17 May 2009
Sick and premature babies in Wales could be at greater risk than those elsewhere in the UK due to shortcomings in services, a nursing director says. Transport of babies between Welsh hospitals is done on an ad hoc basis without dedicated teams and ambulances available in other parts of the UK.
UK: Welcome Dr Death, says 'spokesman' for elderly
15 May 2009
Dame Joan Bakewell, whose job is to represent the interests of elderly people to the Government, says suicide activist Dr Phillip Nitschke should have been made more welcome in the UK.
US: Nursing unions on the verge of revolution
15 May 2009
The other day, I was talking with a hospital executive, whom I warned that nurse unionization was developing a level of momentum I hadn't seen before in my 20 years in the business. His response was confident: "Unions aren't a part of our culture."
US: E-health – Can Sam's Club bring health care tech to the local doctor?
15 May, 2009 05:35
In two years, the federal government will begin divvying up $19 billion in reimbursement money to help health care organizations and doctors cover roll out electronic medical records (EMR) technology. In the meantime, the cost for the technology, which can run tens of millions of dollars for large facilities and tens of thousands of dollars for private physician practices, rests squarely on the private sector.
US: Expanding nurse practitioners primary care role could lower medical bad debt balances
15 May 2009
Nurses will be part of a national effort to lower medical costs and reduce the bad debt incurred by hospitals as lawmakers focus on health care reform.
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