Going to the doctor is, in many ways, like visiting a car sales yard. The customer has a limited knowledge of the product and the supplier may have a financial incentive to over-service or overcharge…
Older people are finally being consulted about the type of care they need.
EPA/Diego Azubel
Australia’s population is ageing, presenting an economic challenge to look after the most vulnerable members of our society. The Productivity Commission released a report last month recommending a complete…
Bringing research, education and health care delivery together will improve patient care.
In an attempt to bring Australia’s medical research, education and healthcare sectors into line with world leaders, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is planning to develop a new…
Complementary medicines need tighter regulation.
Mickey Liaw
If a manufacturer claimed its product was “clinically proven” and could relieve your symptoms of bloating and fatigue, would you believe it? What about if you were chronically or terminally ill and had…
If the government wants to support private health, it should fund the system directly.
Robin Thom
The government’s plan to means test the 30% private health insurance rebate faces an uncertain future after yesterday’s scheduled parliamentary debate was delayed. Under the scheme, singles with health…
Four year-old Ayen Chol died after being attacked by a neighbour’s pit bull cross (AFP PHOTO/William WEST)
The recent death of four year-old, Ayen Chol from a pit bull attack has again prompted calls to ban the breed. But instead of focusing on a particular breed, or responding to single events as they occur…
If health and water reform are anything to go by, COAG is in for a challenge.
The stakes are high for today’s Council of Australian Government (COAG) meeting in Canberra, as it decides how to respond to the Productivity Commission’s report into disability care and support in Australia…
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has found Myriad Genetics is entitled to patents on two sets human genetic mutations used to predict if women have an increased risk of breast and ovarian…
Federal governments should fund pharmaceutical research and development.
AAP
Over the last couple of decades, the pharmaceutical industry has come under attack for its perceived shortcomings amid claims that it’s greedy, profiteering nature has caused significant harm. However…
Preventive health is the the biggest loser in the health deal.
AAP
The deal’s been done and health reform is in the bag. It may not be quite as bold as originally planned by then prime minister Rudd – there’s even been a fair amount of watering down on Julia Gillard’s…
The deal has a narrower focus than the original but still delivers $20 billion of extra funds.
Health professionals and patients alike breathed a sigh of relief yesterday when Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced she had struck a final deal with the states to reform the nation’s hospital system…
Home help is much more effective than written instructions from a doctor.
The new Victorian Health Plan 2012-22 offers a bleak prognosis: forever rising medical costs, doctors in the wrong places, hospitals overwhelmed. To make matters worse, it claims that patients can’t be…
In the latest change to the Federal Government’s health reforms, Health Minister Nicola Roxon has scrapped the guarantee that public patients who don’t receive their elective surgery on time will be treated…
The government has made a mistake by not listing pain drug Targin on the PBS.
J Hawk
In an attempt to contain growing health costs, the Australian Government has resisted recommendations to subsidise the pain medication Targin on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule. Not only is this a…
It is far from clear whether Philip Morris’ tactic against plain packaging will succeed.
AAP
In the latest salvo in the fight over plain packaging for tobacco products, Philip Morris is launching legal action under Australia’s bilateral investment treaty with Hong Kong. The key aspect of Philip…
Achieving equity is less about grand gestures than meeting the actual needs of Indigenous Australians.
Sorry by butupa/Flickr
The Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released its latest report on how much money the Commonwealth and State governments spend on the health of Indigenous Australians. Despite being…
The number of people smoking daily has dropped but 60% of Australian adults are now overwight or obese, a government study found.
Flickr
Over 60% of Australian adults are now overweight or obese, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The report, Key indicators of progress for chronic disease…
More data on the effects of alcohol and energy drinks is needed to inform policy.
loop oh/Flickr
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has called for a ban on the sale of pre-packaged alcoholic energy drinks based on recent research, echoing a similar call for bottle shops to stop selling pre-packaged…
Women who do not go to sleep on their left side on their last night of pregnancy have a doubled risk of late stillbirth compared with women who sleep on their left side, new research shows.
Flickr
Women who sleep on their left side on their final night of pregnancy could halve the risk of their baby being stillborn compared to women who do not, a new study has found. Sleeping on the left allows…
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne