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Local news
WEEK COMMENCING 15 AUGUST 2009
Mass swine flu jabs available within weeks
20 August 2009
The Federal Government expects to take delivery of 2 million doses of the swine flu vaccine by the end of next week, and vaccinations could begin by early September.
Quadriplegic wants Swiss assisted suicide
20 August 2009
Perth man Christian Rossiter plans to apply for a passport to travel to Switzerland to die, while the Australian Medical Association and Philip Nitschke were at odds about whether the ruling in the case was a step toward legalising euthanasia.
Alcohol warning for new mums
20 August 2009
Pregnant women are set to be told to give up the booze and could be confronted with "warning" labels on alcohol products under new national guidelines. The Rudd Government's Preventative Health Taskforce has raised concerns with current advice about "maternal drinking", saying limited evidence makes it "impossible to set a safe or no-risk drinking level".
$1.8b program puts patients at risk
20 August 2009
Hospital patients' lives could be put at risk from overdoses or wrong medication, experts warn, if the ambitious timetable for the Government's e-Health plans mean computer-generated prescriptions are introduced without adequate training and support for staff.
Simple 20-minute eye surgery and life is lovely again
20 August 2009
When cataracts began to rob Teresa Croce-Benedetti and her husband, Livio, of their sight, the condition also threatened the welfare of many of Sydney's elderly migrants. The Croce-Benedettis have both been awarded medals in the Order of Australia for their work with migrants. Now, thanks to a routine 20-minute procedure that has fully restored their vision, they can continue to do that work into their 70s.
Roxon ties reforms to means test
20 August 2009
Much-needed reforms to the nation's creaking health system have been dangled by the federal government as a trade-off for passing controversial means-testing of the private health insurance rebate. Health Minister Nicola Roxon said yesterday electronic health records, long advocated as a way to cut error and duplication, would cost "serious money" -- up to $1.8billion.
Senate tells Government to produce costings on IVF bill
20 August 2009
Couples undergoing IVF treatment face a new blow with the Senate threatening to delay measures to reduce Medicare payments for fertility treatment. Opposition parties yesterday demanded the Government provide details on the regulations to tighten payments for IVF, claiming the budget move exposing patients to high gap costs would deny fertility assistance to couples on low incomes.
Simple test to detect endometriosis
20 August 2009
Sydney researchers have helped develop a simple, non-surgical test to identify endometriosis, a painful gynaecological condition that affects about 10 per cent of women and can cause infertility.
Media release: Greens to oppose ineffective Medicare measures
19 August 2009
The Australian Greens have announced today they will oppose the Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN) legislation in the Senate."We believe there are fundamental flaws in the way health care is funded in Australia and are particularly concerned by the way this system encourages excessive out of pocket expenses, " said Senator Siewert.
Blocking IVF bill irresponsible: Roxon
19 August 2009
The federal coalition would be fiscally irresponsible to block plans to cap payments for IVF treatment because it would blow a $450 million hole in the budget, Labor says.
IVF changes 'price people out of parenthood'
19 August 2009
The Federal Government's plan to cap Medicare payments for IVF treatment is facing an uncertain future in the Senate. Nick Xenophon says the change will mean only wealthy patients can access fertility treatment.
Roxon: Private health insurance stronger than ever
18 August 2009
Figures released today show that more and more Australians are taking out private health insurance membership than ever before. Despite recent predictions of a fall in participation rates, a total of 44.6 per cent of all Australians were covered by private hospital insurance in the June 2009 quarter.
Elite hospital old boys' network targeted by competition watchdog
17 August 2009
The entire team of anaesthetists at St Vincent's Private Hospital - more than 30 doctors - is under investigation for acting as a cartel. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is moving to end what other doctors claim is a decades-long history of restrictive behaviour by an old boys' network which is bent on protecting its exclusive access to some of Sydney's most lucrative private operating lists.
Brother urges intern suicide inquest
17 August 2009
The brother of a Newcastle University medical graduate is calling for a coronial inquest into his suicide, saying his family deserves to know if his job as a hospital intern tipped him over the edge. Dr William Huynh, 26, died in January at Wagga Wagga in southern New South Wales. His friends blame extreme working hours, claims rejected by health officials.
Fury over 'they shake me' baby T-shirt
14 August 2009
A baby's T-shirt bearing the slogan "they shake me" has sparked an angry online response from parents. A complaint about the T-shirt was posted on the popular parenting blog Mamamia this morning, sparking an email and Twitter campaign against the company responsible, Cotton On Kids.
Health checks shunned
14 August 2009
Doctors have called for a redesign of the Rudd government's "healthy kids" checks after the program fell woefully short of its first-year targets. Medicare statistics show Labor's election promise to ensure all four-year-olds "are happy, healthy and ready to learn" has delivered a sixth of the health checks planned in 2008-09, contributing to a 75 per cent underspend in the rebate-based scheme.
Roche runs out of liquid Tamiflu for kids
14 August 2009
The Northern Territory Health Department says there are no concerns that the company that makes the swine flu drug Tamiflu is running out of its liquid formula for children. Roche has informed doctors that it cannot supply any more liquid Tamiflu to Australia, but it says they can make their own with powder or by crushing tablets.
More budget cuts 'will decimate hospitals'
14 August 2009
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says Perth hospitals are being ordered to make a second round of budget cuts that will decimate front-line health services. The AMA says senior doctors have been told to identify programs that can by cut by as much as 10 per cent in a bid to meet the Government's efficiency savings.
Put a healthy approach on the menu
14 August 2009
The Australian Society for the Study of Obesity estimates that childhood obesity is rising at an annual rate of one per cent. That means that within 20 years, about half of all adults will be overweight. But according to a recent study conducted at Deakin University, banning junk food advertisements during peak children’s viewing times would help the average Australian child drop half a kilogram.
International news
US: US doctors question Gardasil side effects
19 August 2009
There is growing controversy about the revolutionary Australian vaccine Gardasil, which is designed to protect women against cervical cancer. A report in the journal of the American Medical Association is raising questions about the number of side effects from the vaccine.
US: How the US has improved hospital care, saving thousands of lives
19 August 2009
Health policy analyst Dr Lesley Russell has written an indepth analysis of the state of health reform in the US for the online publication, Inside Story. In this piece for Croakey she writes about the lessons from the US in using financial incentives to improve hospital care.
UK: WHO healthcare ranking: Britain 18th, USA 37th
13 August 2009
The Guardian has an article about the misrepresentations, half-truths and outrights lies going on in the US partisan debate on healthcare: ‘Evil and Orwellian’ – America’s right turns its fire on NHS. "Defenders of Britain’s system point out that the UK spends less per head on healthcare but has a higher life expectancy than the US. The World Health Organisation ranks Britain’s healthcare as 18th in the world, while the US is in 37th place. The British Medical Association said a majority of Britain’s doctors have consistently supported public provision of healthcare. A spokeswoman said the association’s 140,000 members were sceptical about the US approach to medicine: “Doctors and the public here are appalled that there are so many people on the US who don’t have proper access to healthcare. It’s something we would find very, very shocking.” Take a look at this database comparing health care in various countries and see if you can deduce which particular fact made me LOL (hollowly).
US: Cancer mortality rates experience steady decline
13 August 2009
The number of cancer deaths has declined steadily in the last three decades. Although younger people have experienced the steepest declines, all age groups have shown some improvement, according to a recent report in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Highmark introduces cost comparison web tool
12 August 2009
Highmark has rolled out a new Web tool that lets members view the costs of certain surgical procedures at different medical facilities. Highmark, a Pittsburgh-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurer, has introduced Care Comparison Costs, a new tool on its Web site that allows members to compare the costs of 17 elective surgical procedures at different medical facilities before scheduling their operation.
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