International News

US: Health bill to face new House vote

26 March 2010: US President Barack Obama's Republican foes in the Senate have used procedural challenges to force a new House of Representatives vote on a package of fixes to his historic health overhaul.

UK: Budget may lead to 'slash and burn' cuts for NHS

25 March 2010: Union leaders have warned that the chancellor's budget could result in "slash and burn" cuts for the NHS. Yesterday Chancellor Alistair Darling said the NHS would be required to make £4.35b savings which would need to be delivered from 2011.

US: Health care reform package includes unprecedented investment in nurse-led health clinics

25 March 2010: When health care reform was signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday, it signaled the beginning of a new era for nurse-led health care. H.R. 3590 will capitalize on the ability of nurse practitioners to provide high-quality primary and preventive care by defining "nurse-managed health clinic" in the Public Health Service Act and creating a new $50 million grant program to support innovative safety net providers.

US Health law will make calorie counts hard to ignore

25 March 2010:

A requirement tucked into the US's massive health care bill will make calorie counts impossible for thousands of restaurants to hide and difficult for consumers to ignore. More than 200,000 fast food and other chain restaurants will have to include calorie counts on menus, menu boards and even drive-thrus.

US: Obama signs executive order on abortion

25 March 2010: US President Barack Obama signed an executive order today reaffirming long-standing restrictions on federal funding of abortion procedures. An executive order does not have the force of law and can be rescinded by another executive order. The abortion executive order has drawn withering criticism from both pro-life and pro-choice groups, the former who say the order lacks teeth to restrict federal money for abortions, and the latter who say it will deny abortion services to women.

US: Massachusetts health care reform reviewed as a model for national plan

24 March 2010: The US national health care reform bill was modelled on groundbreaking 2006 legislation in Massachusetts requiring all adults in the Commonwealth to have health insurance coverage through an individual mandate. A new article from The Milbank Quarterly, by Brandeis health policy experts, explains how Massachusetts has handled the insurance requirement since 2006 and describes the lessons policymakers have learned.

UK: Effects of passive smoking on children divulged

24 March 2010: A study conducted by York University has evinced that passive smoking leads to almost 22,000 fresh cases of asthma and breathlessness in children yearly. It also costs the Government £23 million to treat these disorders.

US states to sue over health care reform

23 March 2010: Ten US states plan to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of health care reform as soon as President Barack Obama signs it into law, Florida's attorney general said on Monday.

US: Obama wins health care reform war

22 March 2010: After more than a year of political combat, the United States has approved historic health care reform legislation, extending insurance to millions of Americans.

US: Historic health reform gets passed

22 March 2010: America healthcare system will get a $US940 billion makeover after the House of Representatives voted today for historic reform, cementing President Barack Obama's place in history.

The landmark legislation was passed 219 votes to 212. It heralds the biggest revamp of healthcare in the US since the introduction in the 1960s of Medicare, the government-funded scheme for over 65s, and of Medicaid, for low income earners and the disadvantaged.

US: Americans nervous about what health care bill will mean

22 March 2010: Americans are very nervous about what this health care reform bill means for them. And one, the major reason why they're nervous is because, an enormous... an unbelievable number of... some of them outright lies, in some cases sort of misstatements, some cases exaggerations have been put out there and they no longer know what the truth is.

FIJI: Health concerns in Fiji after Tomas

22 March 2010: More than 30,000 people in Fiji are at risk of catching typhoid after tropical Cyclone Tomas whipped through the South Pacific nation, damaging fresh water supplies, according to reports.

CAN: Nursing cuts slammed

22 March 2010: The Ontario Nurses Association has been tracking nursing staff cuts across the province for eight months and calculates more than 1,600 registered nursing positions have been eliminated.

US: The Mad Hatters at the Tea Party

22 March 2010: A little chat with the protesting Tea Partiers in Washington, there to oppose Obama’s health care bill. It’s a happy collection of Fox News lovers, socialised medicine haters, people who haven’t actually read the bill and elephants.

US: New guidelines for diagnosing, managing and treating Clostridium difficile

Changes in epidemiology and severity of disease serve as impetus

22 March 2010: A joint panel of experts from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology (SHEA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) today released online new clinical practice guidelines for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in adults. The guidelines, to be published in the May issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, update recommendations regarding the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and infection control and environmental management of this disease.

US: UCH touts 'magnet' designation from nursing organization

21 March 2010: The University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora ranks among the best hospitals in the world when it comes to nursing, rivaling hospitals in Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon. That’s according to the American Nurses Credential Center, an international nursing organization that recently named the University of Colorado Hospital in its Magnet Recognition Program. The program recognizes hospitals for excellence in nursing and overall patient care.

US: Doggone it: Nurse advocates for therapy dogs

21 March 2010: Entering a nursing home frequently means relinquishing one's home, mementos, freedom and, often, a pet. "Residents wonder why they can't have one now," said Char Ten Clay, director of senior care services at Heritage Nursing Home. "It's tough because I can see them think, 'It's just one more thing I have to give up."

NZ: Healthy society gives women eye for less masculine features

19 March 2010: A feminine-looking man's face is more likely than a rugged-looking type to capture the eye of a heterosexual New Zealand woman, new international research tends to suggest. The global online study by Aberdeen University psychologist Lisa DeBruine, and her husband, Ben Jones, found that women's preferences for male faces vary according to the state of health care in the nation where they live.

US: Healthcare vote: America divided as House considers Barack Obama's answer to health conundrum

21 March 2010: Today's historic debate in the House was a long time coming. A succession of US presidents have sought to solve America's healthcare conundrum: while the US is one of the biggest health spenders in the world, that is not reflected in a corresponding standard of care.

US: Obama still lobbying for health reform

21 March 2010: US President Barack Obama is set to meet with key Democratic lawmakers in last-minute lobbying for his sweeping health care reform plan.

HAITI: Navy nurse practitioner from Parma is heartened by Haitians' strong will: Military Notes

By Brian Albrecht

21 March 2010, 9:30AM: Navy personnel, joined by medical experts from international aid groups, were flooded with patients ferried to the ship in the first days after the Comfort's Jan. 20 arrival.

At the height of their efforts, they were treating one patient every six to nine minutes, with 10 operating rooms running nonstop at full capacity.

CAN: Experts warn of nursing shortage

20 March 2010: Canada is in danger of losing huge numbers of nurses to other countries as provincial governments struggle to slash deficits by freezing or cutting their jobs, nursing advocates say.

HAITI: Nursing home pensioners neglected after Haiti earthquake 

20 March 2010: The grounds of what used to be Port-au-Prince’s main nursing home are now covered with tents offering minimal housing conditions for internally displaced persons and families who lost their houses in the disaster. 

UK: 'Nursing' Coronation Street star through breast cancer

20 March 2010: When Coronation Street's Sally Webster told her husband on Christmas Day that she had breast cancer, the audience was gripped. But for breast cancer nurse Vickki Harmer there was a far greater concern - how would the soap handle such an important issue as breast cancer?

Local News

WEEK COMMENCING 20 MARCH 2010

Treasurers to discuss health plan detail

26 March 2010: A meeting of the nation's treasurers in Canberra on Friday will discuss the "nitty gritty" of the Rudd government's planned health reforms. But federal Treasurer Wayne Swan won't be giving his state and territory counterparts a heads-up on the Henry tax review, which the government is holding back until May.

Swine flu season begins with 'concerning' first case recorded in Tasmania

26 March 2010: Tasmania has recorded its first case of swine flu for the season prompting health warnings. The Mercury reports health officials are bracing for the second wave of the potentially deadly H1N1 virus which is due to strike in April and May.

Beds short at Cairns Base Hospital: AMA

26 March 2010: Almost 80 beds are needed immediately to reduce occupancy rates at Cairns Base Hospital to a safe level, the state's peak medical body says. 

Please, no more 'debates'

25 March 2010: The Rudd-Abbott health debate was less a real discussion than a public sideshow, put on for the media and the political class.

ANF: Health debate must be about keeping people out of hospital

25 March 2010: The Australian Nursing Federation has called on the government to place a greater emphasis on primary health care - this means employing more nurses in schools, general practice, the community and even in workplaces. ANF Federal Secretary Ged Kearney said health reform must focus on how to keep people healthy and out of hospital.

WA doctors reject Rudd's hospitals plan

25 March 2010: West Australian Premier Colin Barnett should not back down in refusing to hand over a large slice of the state's GST to bankroll the prime minister's hospitals overhaul, the WA branch of the Australian Medical Association says.

New hospitals website 'misleading'

25 March 2010: A new website that provides a snapshot of Queensland hospital performance has been branded as misleading by the state's health minister. The Australian Medical Association's state branch today launched its new Your Hospital's Health website, drawing together state health figures on individual hospitals.

Your Hospital’s Health website launched

25 March 2010: AMA Queensland today officially launched the Your Hospital’s Health website as the latest weapon in its War on Waste campaign to improve Queensland’s health system. AMA Queensland President Dr Mason Stevenson said the Your Hospital’s Health website went live this morning and allows Queenslanders to view vital information about their local hospital.

Australian government announces plan to train more doctors

25 March 2010: In a further instalment of his government’s health blueprint, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last week announced a plan to spend $632 million over 10 years to create extra training places for doctors.

Qld patients at risk, say doctors

25 March 2010: Queensland patient safety could be at risk at 15 major hospitals because they have unacceptably high bed occupancy rates, the Australian Medical Association's state branch says.

Snowdon, Butler: $4m for tri-nation research to help close the gap in Indigenous health

25 March 2010: In the spirit of Oxfam’s National Closing The Gap Day, the Rudd Government has announced three Australian research teams will receive a share of nearly $4 million to improve outcomes in Indigenous health.

Ellis: $3.3 million to reduce drownings at coastal black spots

24 March 2010: The Minister for Sport Kate Ellis says the Government is devoting $3.3 million to help reduce drownings at coastal danger spots along Australia’s coastline.

Health system is more than just hospitals

25 March 2010: Reform should move the health system from its current simplistic emphasis on hospitals and waiting lists to a system of interlinking elements that include acute care, primary care, early intervention, health promotion and illness prevention. The debate between Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott has failed to deliver any suggestion of health system reform.

Medibank Private slashes funded heart operations or hip replacements for customers on First Choice Savers package

25 March 2010: Medibank Private has cut a range of costly procedures, including heart operations, hip replacements and assisted reproductive services, from one of its basic packages.

'Do more' to improve indigenous health

25 March 2010: Aboriginal leaders are calling on the Rudd government not to take its foot off the pedal in the drive to improve health outcomes for indigenous Australians.

Medibank slashes benefits

25 March 2010: Medibank Private has slashed benefits available to hundreds of thousands of its members, leaving them uninsured for a range of common operations unless they agree to pay up to 50 per cent more in premiums.

Doctors warn of mental health bed shortage

25 March 2010: Victoria does not have enough mental health beds to meet soaring demand, even with a new unit opened at the Northern Hospital this month, doctors say.

Doctors hit as penalty pay cut

25 March 2010: Doctors are not being paid for life-saving work because SA Health illegally is altering their time sheets, they say. The doctors' union and the Australian Medical Association say the department is trying to save money by cutting down on paying overtime. To do that, it is breaking the law, they say.

Abbott rebuffs health briefing offer

24 March 2010: Health Minister Nicola Roxon says Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has not yet bothered to attend a Government briefing on its new health policy. But Mr Abbott's health spokesman says the briefings are a farce and a "political stunt" aimed at making the Government look like it is taking a bipartisan approach.

PM slammed for slashing spending on mental health

23 March 2010: The federal government has plucked about $340 million out of struggling mental health programs in the past two years after repeatedly attacking Tony Abbott for cutting $1 billion from the health budget when he was the presiding minister.

Rudd: Tough task, tough decisions, but it's time for action

23 March 2010: I promised to end the blame game on [health] funding, and that's what our plan will do.

Federal pollies rehearse health debate

22 March 2010: To health policy in Australia now, and the Federal Government is trying to ramp up the pressure on Tony Abbott, ahead of tomorrow's leaders debate on health policy here. The Government says the Opposition Leader must tell voters tomorrow what the Coalition would do about hospitals and health reform, if it won government. But Mr Abbott says he won't be pushed into divulging his party's policies to suit the Government's timeline.

Abbott to reveal principles in headland speeches

22 March 2010: Tony Abbott revealed today he is planning a series of Howard-style "headland" speeches as he ruled out unveiling a health policy at tomorrow's debate with Kevin Rudd.

Australia prepares swine flu shots from stockpile

21 March 2010: Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon said today that swine flu will match last year’s severity in Australia, when 191 deaths were associated with the pandemic influenza that killed almost 17,000 people worldwide.

Rudd's health reform plan boosted by poll results

22 March 2010: Kevin Rudd's chances of having the states accept his health reform plan have been bolstered by Mike Rann's expected narrow victory in South Australia and the prospect of a hung parliament in Tasmania.

Security fears may delay e-health reforms until after election

22 March 2010: A centrepiece of the Rudd government's health reforms – the electronic patient identifier system – is at risk of delay until after the election amid concerns over security and privacy.

Mental health act ensures families no longer in dark

March 2010: Matthew Murphy's mind snapped 11 months too early. Had the 41-year-old been able to endure the crippling depression that enveloped him for a while longer, the state's new Mental Health Act would have required hospital staff to tell his family what was happening with his care. It may have saved his life.

No new health policies to sell

22 March 2010: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott are set to go head-to-head on the key election issue during a nationally televised debate. And both sides have called on the other to release more details on health policy, but neither are prepared to do so.

Aussies urged to get free swine flu jab

22 March 2010: There are plenty of free swine flu vaccines available which are good to go for the flu season, the federal government says.

Cereal offenders agree to cut salt

22 March 22, 2010: Leading bread and cereal manufacturers have agreed to reduce the sodium content of their products in response to rising concern about Australians' high salt intake and heart disease.

Rudd asked to commit to three debates

22 March 2010: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been asked to commit to at least three leaders' debates during the election campaign. Mr Rudd will go head-to-head with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott on Tuesday in a nationally televised debate on health and hospitals. Health Minister Nicola Roxon said policies on preventative health and aged care were on hold until agreement from the states on the health reform package was met.

This brainless patient is no dummy

21 March 2010: Meet the new high-tech robot suffering from a multitude of health problems helping to save lives around Australia. SimMan 3G might look like a dummy but he is surprisingly smart. He talks, cries and bleeds as well as replicates conditions ranging from anaphylaxis to cardiac arrest.

Aussies urged to get swine flu vaccine

21 March 2010: An advertising campaign warning Australians to prepare themselves for the flu season has begun, as authorities try to prevent another swine flu pandemic.

Roxon media release: The facts on swine flu

21 March 2010: Australians must be prepared for possible outbreaks of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza – or swine flu – as we move into the Southern Hemisphere flu season. Since the beginning of this year there have been almost 50 confirmed cases of swine flu in Australia.

Kevin Rudd’s pledge unconvincing to rural skeptics

21 March 2010: Kevin Rudd had dismissed suggestions that his new funding plan could financially ruin many hospitals as "scare campaigns launched by various state health bureaucrats" yesterday. In the outback, where many small hospitals are located and where high costs of most basic goods and services means an "activity-based" funding model may not sustain them, the pledge does not sound that convincing.

Dodgy medicos rip off NT taxpayers

21 March 2010: Some dodgy doctors and dentists are ripping off Territorians because of a lucrative loophole in the health system. Doctors and dentists are able to claim rebates for writing plans and treating the chronically ill under the chronic disease management plans.

Hormone in pill blamed for women's hair loss

21 March 2010: The contraceptive pill is driving a steady surge in the number of young women suffering hair loss. Hair specialists say thinning, previously the misfortune of pregnant and menopausal women, is being triggered by hormones in the pill.

AMA backs call for safe haven legislation

20 March 2010: The President of the Australian Medical Association says the government should consider baby safe haven laws as part of a support plan to assist struggling new mothers.

Hackers hit charity donation site

20 March 2010: The internet services of two autism support organisations have been crashed by computer hackers and a third may also have fallen victim, raising fears of a targeted attack to coincide with autism month.

Top doc praises our e-health uptake

20 March 2010: Geelong is a leader in Australia's movement to electronic health, according to one of the nation's top GP's. The clinical head of the National E-Health Transition Authority, Mukesh Haikerwal, said Geelong's hospital and GP network had embraced electronic data collection and communication, well ahead of the remainder of the technologically "backward" sector.

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