International News

Nationwide study: 1 in 4 women show ambivalence toward pregnancy

6 May 2010: For years, a widely held assumption was that women of childbearing age fell neatly into two camps: those trying to have children, and those not trying to have children. A new nationwide study suggests, however, that nearly a fourth of women consider themselves "OK either way" about getting pregnant – a wide swath of ambivalence that surprised researchers, and that could reshape how doctors approach many aspects of women's health care.

Nursing a spouse with Alzheimer may increase dementia risk in a person

6 May 2010: A new study has said that people who nurse a spouse with dementia are at six times increased risk of developing the devastating condition themselves.

Physical and mental stress of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's and other forms of the condition can do lasting damage to the brain's memory centre, researchers have said.

Stirling Products clinical trial listed on US websites: TB/HIV

5 May 2010: Pharmaceutical and healthcare company, Stirling Products (ASX:STI) has advised that its forthcoming TB, TB/HIV clinical trial, funded through a grant from the US Civilian Research & Development Foundation (CRDF) of its botanical immunomodulator ImmunoXel has this week been listed on the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. National Institutes of Health websites.

Team outlines 21st century roadmap to make America the healthiest nation in the world

5 May 2010: A Commission of national health care experts convened by the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC) has unveiled a roadmap and integrated approach that will put "health" back into our nation's health care system as well as address key opportunities following passage of health care reform legislation. The Commission on U.S. Federal Leadership in Health and Medicine: Charting Future Directions is releasing its second report, A 21st Century Roadmap for Advancing America's Health: The Path from Peril to Progress, emphasizing a comprehensive spectrum of actions to build a 21st century system that will make America the healthiest nation in the world. Already, the CSPC Health Commission's proposals have helped shape new Federal initiatives and are reflected in recent health reform legislation.

Families caught in the middle

2 May 2010: When the high cost of health care forces families to forgo paying for basic household expenses, such as rent, utilities or food, children's health suffers, according to research to be presented Sunday, May 2 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Comprehensive asthma care keeps kids out of the hospital

1 May 2010: A comprehensive, patient-centered approach to asthma care that includes education, referrals to specialists and home visits not only improves patients' health but also has tremendous potential to decrease health care costs, according to research to be presented Saturday, May 1 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Local News

WEEK COMMENCING 01 MAY 2010

Media release Rudd, Roxon: A Field Of Pink at the MCG supporting Australians with breast cancer

7 May 2010: The Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard and Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, will tonight join with breast cancer survivors, their carers and supporters at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to recognise Australians affected by breast cancer.

E-health will reduce medical costs by $7.6b: study

7 May 2010: Electronic health records would yield $7.6 billion in annual treatment cost savings and reduce avoidable deaths by 5000 a year, a study has found.

Silence on private patient funding

7 May 2010: Private patients who stay overnight in public hospitals are charged on average only a third of the $1000 a day they would pay in private hospitals. The future of the arrangement has been thrown into uncertainty as a result of the health reform under which the Rudd government has pledged to pay 60 per cent of the ''efficient cost'' of treating a public patient in a public hospital but had remained silent on the payment for private patients in a public hospital.

Additional $2b in budget health funding

7 May 2010: An additional $2 billion in health funding is expected to be unveiled in Tuesday's federal budget, most of it earmarked for out-of-hospital services or primary care. The money would be one of the few new spending measures in what is otherwise expected to be an austere budget, Fairfax newspapers reported on Friday.

Shortage of GPs 'forces children to hospital'

7 May 2010: Almost half the young children in some parts of NSW were taken to a hospital emergency department in one year, according to figures which doctors say point to a dangerous shortage of GPs.

ANF welcomes new protections for aged care nurses

6 May 2010: Main points: aged care nurses in Queensland and NSW can preemptively apply for take home orders; unions can apply on behalf of a class of employees or outworkers instead of each individual; this will assist in protecting the wages of 15,000 award-reliant nurses.

Commonwealth media release: Australia's first male health policy

6 May 2010: The Rudd Government today launched Australia's first ever National Male Health Policy. The National Male Health Policy has been developed through extensive consultations with health services, health professionals, and men themselves in 26 public forums attended by 1,300 people. It encourages men of all ages to take action to improve their own health and recognises that this requires information, assistance and support, across 6 priority areas.

Government launches men's health policy

6 May 2010: The "she'll be right" attitude of some Australian men has led to unequal health outcomes for the nation's blokes, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says. That's why Labor has produced a first ever national male health policy and committed $16.7 million to projects which will help men stay in shape.

Media release: Greens call for Government to provide expanded midwives insurance

6 May 2010: The Australian Greens said on International Day of the Midwife that while there had been significant progress in supporting the work of midwives particularly in advances with indemnity insurance there was still more to do. The Greens are continuing their push for the Federal Government to expand the Commonwealth scheme for indemnity insurance to midwives who provide assistance to women who chose to have their babies at home.

Drugs available without script

6 May 2010: A deal to allow pharmacists to dispense two specific medicines to patients after their prescriptions have run out may be just the start of a much broader-based program – a prospect likely to spark the fury of medical groups.

Insurance deal secured for midwives

5 May 2010: The Federal Government has struck a deal with a private insurance company to provide indemnity cover for midwives. Midwives will now be able to prescribe medicines covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and order procedures covered by the Medicare Benefits Schedule.

Health service backs hospital funds

5 May 2010: Bendigo Health's chief executive, John Mulder, says he is ecstatic about yesterday's budget announcement to fund a new hospital. Nearly $500 million will be spent on the redevelopment project, which will take about six years to plan and build.

Backing for enquiry into adverse flu reactions

5 May 2010: There is widespread support for the State Government's decision to launch an enquiry into the Health Department's handling of the flu vaccination program. The program was suspended last month after hundreds of West Australian children under the age of five experienced severe adverse reactions.

Drugs with no script plan: minister accuses doctors of scaremongering

5 May 2010: Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon has hit back at doctors' claims that allowing pharmacies to dispense some prescription medicines without a GP's script could "threaten patient safety". She said the "scaremongering" by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) was disappointing.

Qld Health payroll problems continue

5 May 2010: Queensland Health's payroll system is in chaos with 35,000 wage anomalies to resolve and more building up with each pay cycle, the Australian Services Union (ASU) says. Tens of thousands of Queensland Health staff have been underpaid, overpaid or not paid at all after new payroll technology was installed in March.

Australian Government: Rural WA – Pilot of Online Counselling Service for young people

(No date): The Australian Government, in partnership with the Western Australian Government, is conducting a 12-month pilot of drought reform measures in part of Western Australia. Online Counselling for Rural Young Australians is an initiative under the Farm Social Support Program and is aimed at young people in the WA pilot area. This anonymous, free and confidential service will be in place from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011.

Roxon: Professional indemnity insurance for midwives

5 May 2010: Today, on International Midwives Day, I am pleased to announce that the Government has signed the contract to provide the first ever Commonwealth-supported professional indemnity insurance for midwives. The insurance will be provided by Medical Insurance Group Australia.

Doctors criticise deal to give chemists power on two drugs

5 May 2010: The prospect of pharmacists being allowed to dispense two widely used drugs without a doctor's prescription has provoked outcry from medical leaders anxious at incursions into their territory.

Govt strikes pricing deal with drugmakers, report says

5 May 2010: The federal government has struck a pricing reform deal with Australian pharmaceutical manufacturers that will save it $2 billion over the next four years, according to The Australian Financial Review.

Life s-s-s-saver? WHO launches snake venom website

5 May 2010: The World Health Organization launched a website Tuesday it hopes will help cut the estimated 100,000 deaths caused annually by snake poison. The site contains a database of approved antivenoms to treat the 2.5 million people who suffer venomous bites each year, the U.N. health agency said.

ANF: Nurses and health workers at risk from needlestick injuries

4 May 2010: The Australian Nursing Federation is gravely concerned about the serious risk to nurses from needlestick injury, with more than 18,000 pricked by syringes and sharps each year.

Roxon: Improving asthma management

4 May 2010: Today is World Asthma Day. Asthma is a potentially life-threatening condition that affects around two million Australians. Today’s theme of “You Can Control your Asthma” aims to raise awareness and improve asthma care.

Vic govt to boost health, police

4 May 2010: The Victorian government has unveiled an election budget that will see billions more spent on health and a boost to law and order. Victorian Treasurer John Lenders said the state effectively had two health budgets for 2010/11, thanks to the funding deal struck recently with the federal government, and would spend $4 billion more on health than the previous year.

NT budget to boost education, health

4 May 2010: The Northern Territory government has delivered its biggest budget deficit, pledging record spending in several sectors to shore up jobs. Education, health and infrastructure will receive record boosts in funding in the $5.1 billion 2010/11 budget.

ACT budget boosts funds for health

4 May 2010: Health has received the biggest injection in the ACT budget, which will rebound from the effects of the global financial crisis two years sooner than expected. The 2010/11 budget, handed down on Tuesday, will deliver an $83.9 million deficit and it targets a return to surplus by 2013/14.

$4bn boost for health in Victorian budget

4 May 2010: A $4 billion injection for Victoria's health system is the stand-out spend in this year's state budget as Labor pours money into the electorate ahead of the November election.

Budget 'short-sighted' on health

4 May 2010: The peak body for medical practitioners has criticised the State Government's health-focused budget, saying it does not deliver enough for patients. The Australian Medical Association's Victorian President, Dr Harry Hemley, says billions of dollars in extra funding for hospitals is a "good start". But he says the budget is short-sighted in its plans for the future.

Stanhope: New cancer centre and community health facilities delivered in budget

4 May 2010: ACT Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher, today announced a number of new infrastructure projects to be delivered through the 2010-11 ACT Budget that progress the Government's commitment to rebuild our healthcare system from the ground up. The funded initiatives include $27.9 million for a new Integrated Cancer Centre, $14 million to expand and refurbish the Tuggeranong Health Centre, and $19.117 million in additional funding to support the redevelopment of our healthcare system.

Opinion/Greens: Kevin Rudd's health plan needs more work

4 May 2010: In an effort to break the Senate deadlock on private health insurance legislation this year I moved an amendment to put an additional $145 million into mental health services - exactly the programs Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry says are needed if we are to tackle the biggest cause of death for under 45-year-olds.

Roxon's identifier legislation stalls over privacy concerns

4 May 2010: Health Minister Nicola Roxon's launch of a national healthcare identifiers regime on July 1 is in doubt as critical concerns raised by doctors and the IT industry are yet to be resolved. It is unlikely that opposition and independent senators will pass the Healthcare Identifiers Bill this month unless the underpinning regulations have been redrafted to take into account key concerns identified during the recent consultations, sources say. It is understood the redrafted regulations were due to be presented to the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council meeting last week, but were not ready.

AMAQ backs whistleblower on wait-list

4 May 2010: Queensland's peak medical body has backed claims the state government is misrepresenting wait-list times for patients needing radiation therapy. The Australian Medical Association's (AMA) state branch claims Queensland Health has omitted up to 50 per cent of cancer patients from radiation therapy wait-list reports produced each quarter. The statement backs allegations by a former Cancer Council spokesman, Paul Turner, who says the reports have created the false perception that more people are being treated within the four-week recommended period.

Costly treatment adds to cancer survivors' trauma

3 May 2010: Cancer survivors are being left thousands of dollars out of pocket because they receive barely any government help for a condition that occurs as a side-effect of their treatment. Lymphoedema, a painful swelling of the limbs that occurs when the body's lymphatic system stops properly draining fluids, is common among people who have had surgery or radiation therapy.

Mental health sector gets good, bad news

3 May 2010: Research into how often Australians with mental illness visit their doctor has delivered some positive as well as negative news. The West Australian study showed those with mental illness made 1.6 GP visits for every visit made by those without mental illness. Homeless Australians with mental illness were the exception, Dr Mai said, as they were found to have "seldom visited a GP at all".

Health system faces too many doctors

3 May 2010: Australia's health system, long an importer of overseas-trained doctors, is facing a shortage in hospital intern places for a rising number of home-grown medical graduates. Ten new medical schools have opened since 2000, and there are concerns growth in hospital intern places can not keep up with the rise in Australian-trained medical graduates.

Huge proportion of swine flu vaccines going to waste

3 May 2010: More than 7.5 million of the 19 million doses of swine flu vaccine bought by the federal government for more than $100 million could be wasted, after a survey found 42 per cent of doses distributed to a sample of GPs ended up in the bin.

Roxon: First ever Brain Cancer Action Week

2 May 2010: Today I am honoured to launch the inaugural Brain Cancer Action Week. Brain Cancer Action Week will bring together medical research institutes, clinicians and Cancer Councils to boost scientific research and to raise awareness about brain cancer.

Multiple births to surge as cost of IVF treatment rises

2 May 2010: As treatment costs go up, more women are asking for several embryo implants at once. Specialists say cuts to the Medicare rebate have increased patient costs by about $1500 for each IVF cycle, forcing many to delay or abandon further attempts to conceive. Others are insisting on several embryos being transferred in one go to boost the chance of pregnancy, despite the increased medical risks associated with carrying several foetuses.

Care at the click of a mouse: Health Vault

1 May 2010 : The recent health reform plan comes down to more beds, doctors and aged-care places, the only innovation being some fancy funding footwork between federal and state governments. What's missing is the information technology infrastructure to make it happen, let alone the smart devices and software that, for instance, will keep patients out of emergency departments and elderly people out of nursing homes.

Elliott: Outgoing Aged Care Commissioner recognised

30 April 2010: Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot thanked Australia’s first Aged Care Commissioner, Ms Rhonda Parker who today completed her three year appointment. Following the completion of Ms Parker’s term and her decision not to re-nominate, the Government has commenced an open selection process for a new Commissioner. For the period of this selection process, Adjunct Professor John Kelly AM has been appointed temporarily as the Aged Care Commissioner from 1 May 2010.

Snowdon: First site launched for Institute for Urban Indigenous Health in Brisbane

30 April 2010: Minister for Indigenous Health, Warren Snowdon launched a new site for the Institute of Urban Indigenous Health today, which will benefit from $1m of additional funding set aside to establish a network of health hubs in South East Queensland.

Hundreds offered testing for infectious diseases

30 April 2010: Hundreds of people in Western Australia's North West are facing an anxious wait to see if they have contracted any infectious diseases after a Pilbara doctor breached medical procedures.

No abnormalities found in flu vaccine, yet – Jim Bishop

30 April 2010: Authorities have yet to get to the bottom of the flu vaccine scare in Western Australia, with tests so far showing no signs of abnormalities. Chief medical officer Jim Bishop says there is a possibility a spike in cases of fever and convulsions for young children in WA could simply be linked to the higher number of vaccinations performed there.

Doctors back patients' demand for full medical records from closed Lambton surgery

30 April 2010: Former Lambton Family Medical Centre patients have called on Primary Health Care to release complete copies of their medical records rather than summaries.

Hospital has health check

30 April 2010: Bendigo Hospital’s Emergency Department treated a record number of patients but failed to meet four key healthcare requirements in the final six months of 2009, according to figures released yesterday.

Dept of Health and Ageing Graduate Program

29 April 2010: We offer you a dynamic work environment and a diverse and challenging career path. Our graduate program provides interesting work and development opportunities which include diverse workplace rotations and a comprehensive training program. We will fast track you and teach you how government works. Our program will ensure that you develop great skills, knowledge and networks. Having a workforce that is made up of colleagues from many different backgrounds enhances our success. We encourage those with a disability, people from diverse cultural backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to apply. Our graduate program will commence in February 2011.

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