Tuesday, 30 September 2008 Comments 0
One only has to walk down the cereal isle of the supermarket to see the senselessness of the food labelling system that has been introduced by the food industry.
Monday, 29 September 2008 Comments 5
The Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon has given support to considerable maternity reform, particularly the appropriate usage of the midwifery workforce, writes Justine Caines.
Wednesday, 24 September 2008 Comments 2
What would Jesus do…if he was the CEO of a catholic hospital confronted with the proposed new abortion laws currently before the Victorian Parliament?
Tuesday, 23 September 2008 Comments 1
There is an almost palpable grief and sense of powerlessness in the bush due due to drought. How to de care for their mental health? Rural psychotherapist Dr John Ashfield investigates.
Thursday, 18 September 2008 Comments 10
Health journalist Melissa Sweet investigates whetehr patient groups should take drug company funding.
Tuesday, 16 September 2008 Comments 7
When it comes to managing Indigenous health issues, the language of consultation manages to crush innovation.
Friday, 12 September 2008 Comments 7
Will the NT Intervention lead to more health professionals wanting to work in Indigenous health, even for short-term postings?
Thursday, 11 September 2008 Comments 4
Lobby group Kids First Campaign has been pressuring regulators to ban food additives because of the impact on children's health.
Wednesday, 10 September 2008 Comments 11
A year on, the recommendations of the Highway to Health report into travel assistance for country patients have still not been implemented.
Wednesday, 3 September 2008 Comments 4
The new 'independent expert panel' on sport announced by the Federal Sports Minister should consider more than just pouring money into elite sport.
Monday, 1 September 2008 Comments 13
ACMA's draft children's television guidelines regarding obesity and advertising look set to put industry interests ahead of the health of children.
Friday, 29 August 2008 Comments 8
More than 70 per cent of Australian general practitioners regularly see drug company sales representatives, according to a small survey conducted by consumer group CHOICE.
Monday, 25 August 2008 Comments 16
In Australia, we don’t have so much a shortage of doctors as a maldistribution of doctors, writes John Menadue.
Friday, 22 August 2008 Comments 4
Gardasil’s combo of sex and cancer must be irresistibly attention-grabbing, writes Dr Andrew Gunn.
Monday, 18 August 2008 Comments 12
Watch the Queensland trial of physician assistants closely - we need all the help we can get to staunch the rural healthcare staffing crisis.
Friday, 15 August 2008 Comments 5
Should the Herald's "Employer of Choice" supplement, sponsored by British American Tobacco, have carried a health warning?
Monday, 11 August 2008 Comments 5
After 10 years or more annual sexual health screening in remote Aboriginal communities in the NT, things are no better and in some age groups, STI incidence is still 30 - 50%. We still do not understand the basis of this epidemic and are certainly no closer to containing it.
Tuesday, 5 August 2008 Comments 7
NSW may be taking a bucketing over its $36 million strategy for tackling obesity, but how is it different from tackling other "lifestyle choices" like smoking?
Monday, 4 August 2008 Comments 9
Australia is moving towards national registration for core health and medical professionals, but there are no safeguards regarding public health officials
Friday, 1 August 2008 Comments 2
If the PM wants to make good his promise of closing the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and other Australians, he will have to start broadening his government’s focus writesLesley Russell.
Tuesday, 29 July 2008 Comments 13
Complaints about complementary medicines are more numerous than complaints against conventional medicines, writes Ken Harvey.
Thursday, 24 July 2008 Comments 11
The wheels on the bandwagon of national mental health reform are looking dangerously wobbly, writes Ian Hickie,.
Tuesday, 22 July 2008 Comments 5
Media hype and political pressure helped change the ruling that cervical cancer vacccine Gardasil should be publicly subsidised. Are pressure groups compromising the process?
Monday, 21 July 2008 Comments 1
Just when you thought things could not get any more shambolic in the remote communities of Central Australia - now Aboriginal people are having to cope with yet more bureaucracy-inspired chaos.
Friday, 18 July 2008 Comments 2
The media's played a role in trivialising health issues, but politicians and bureaucrats, and health professionals, could do a lot more to limit this media weakness.
Wednesday, 16 July 2008 Comments 9
The media is often correctly critical of the state of public health services in Australia today. But do they contribute to the solution of the problems? Professor Katherine McGrath investigates.
Tuesday, 15 July 2008 Comments 1
In Australia condom promotion was a key factor in controlling the HIV epidemic among gay men. But for many people, particularly women who face the threat of HIV in developing countries, condom use is not a viable option.
Tuesday, 15 July 2008 Comments 3
Why the media frenzy over the breast cancer "wonder drug" did us no favours: breast cancer group.
Monday, 7 July 2008 Comments 11
Friday, 4 July 2008 Comments 3
Should we be moving away from private health insurance? Ian McAuley makes the case for a single national insurer.
Tuesday, 1 July 2008 Comments 5
Are the independents in the Senate going to reward the alcohol industry by rejecting Rudd's tax on alcopops?
Monday, 30 June 2008 Comments 4
Women can feel good about buying that new lippy, designer handbag, diamond watch or even gardening tools because the girlish pink hue confirms you aren’t just shopping, but making a valuable donation. But how much of your money is actually going to a breast cancer charity?
Friday, 27 June 2008 Comments 6
The town of Dorrigo has taken a blow with the news that its two exhausted GPs have gone on strike. Why is red tape stopping them from recruiting more help?
Wednesday, 25 June 2008 Comments 8
It’s extremely heartening that Australia is finally taking steps to modernise its health care practices and to enable nurses and midwives to work to their full potential, writes Professor Mary Chiarella.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008 Comments 4
You might assume that rising fuel prices would be good for our waistlines if it makes us more likely to walk or cycle than hop in the car. But Dr Tim Gill, a public health nutrition researcher at the University of Sydney, believes that rising fuel prices may well lead to further increases in unhealthy weight gain by contributing to rising food costs.
Monday, 23 June 2008 Comments 6
Jane McGrath's death from breast cancer could spark off a wave of young women wanting to be screened - but it may be a waste of money and resources.
Monday, 16 June 2008 Comments 15
It's hard to believe but the NT intervention has been going on for a year. It's time to reflect on what's been achieved.
Friday, 13 June 2008 Comments 2
Professor Wayne Hall weighs into the debate on cannabis legalisation.
Tuesday, 10 June 2008 Comments 1
The Federal intervention at the Mersey Campus of the North West Regional Hospital set a precedent which Mike Walker argues should be expanded significantly.
Friday, 6 June 2008 Comments 2
Canada's Supreme Court has come down in the favour of medically supervised injecting rooms. Will NSW follow suit?
Thursday, 5 June 2008 Comments 4
There's nothing like a stoush over alcohol and illicit drugs to expose double standards in the health debate.
Wednesday, 4 June 2008 Comments 9
The media's been quick to peddle the benefits of HRT, but not so loud about research into its problems. Is the media giving free rein to drug company PR?
Monday, 2 June 2008 Comments 6
The film industry's been glamourising smoking for decades. Now the AMA says that film funding should be cut off for films containing smoking.
Thursday, 29 May 2008 Comments 8
Rural doctors are arguing for yet more financial incentives to work in the bush. But the report they rely on doesn't exactly back them up, writes Dr Sue Page.
Wednesday, 28 May 2008 Comments 6
As a GP working in Sydney, I heartily endorse calls to overhaul the way we provide primary care., writes Simon Willcock.
Monday, 26 May 2008 Comments 3
When services are not designed with the needs of Indigenous people in mind, they are less likely to be effective in engaging with them, and in making a real difference to their lives.
Friday, 23 May 2008 Comments 5
The evidence does not support claims that the budget’s private health insurance changes will break the public health system, writes Jennifer Doggett.
Thursday, 22 May 2008 Comments 1
Two forces are visible that will drive change in the health system and in the health debate even though both, to a fair extent, have to do with money, writes Stephen Leeder.
Wednesday, 21 May 2008 Comments 11
Is the way we fund and organise primary care in need of a major overhaul? Melissa Sweet explores the options.
Friday, 16 May 2008 Comments 5
It already tried to gag one of its academics after pressure from big pharma, and now the Uni of Queensland is considering forcing its academics to drop their honorifics from unpopular speech.
Wednesday, 14 May 2008 Comments 11
There's little evidence of an underlying or even emerging strategy to give effect to the rhetoric and hype that has so excited those in the health sector that perhaps an era of reform has arrived.
Wednesday, 14 May 2008 Comments 5
The Medicare levy surcharge has become the dominant financial incentive for people to hold private health insurance. The
Monday, 12 May 2008 Comments 11
Rudd is pouring money back into the hospitals and the Medicare levy has been lifted to free most of those whom it forced into the private funds. So is this good health policy?
Friday, 9 May 2008 Comments 7
The relationships between drug companies and doctors, researchers and academics are set for a huge shakeup if a powerful medical group has its way.
Thursday, 8 May 2008 Comments 10
Do you think concerns about binge drinking are a beat-up? Asks Melissa Sweet.
Wednesday, 7 May 2008 Comments 10
Tuesday, 6 May 2008 Comments 1
If the Treasurer wants to fight inflation, he should be looking closely at the health sector, writes Ian McAuley.
Friday, 2 May 2008 Comments 9
The middle class do gooders might do more good if they asked the poor SODs (smoking, obese, drinkers) what they want done. What do the SODS think might help them? asks Gavin Mooney.
Tuesday, 29 April 2008 Comments 14
Evidence-based policy is all the rage these days. But the history of evidence-based medicine suggests there are some reasons to be sceptical, writes Melissa Sweet.
Monday, 28 April 2008 Comments 2
Australia's major sporting codes are trying to intimidate the Senate into rejecting Family First’s Alcohol Toll Reduction Bill, writes Geoff Munro of the Community Alcohol Action Network.
Tuesday, 22 April 2008 Comments 9
Professor Ian Hickie was disappointed with 2020. Professor Stephen Leeder was encouraged. Which side do you fall on?
Monday, 21 April 2008 Comments 20
I would like to hear your experiences of seeking or trying to provide care for persons with anxiety, depression or substance abuse, writes Professor Ian Hickie.
Friday, 18 April 2008 Comments 5
We need to learn from the successes in tobacco control in tackling the obesity epidemic, writes Rosemary Stanton.
Thursday, 17 April 2008 Comments 9
Will Australian governments have the courage to move forward in developing new models of care? asks Bill Glasson.
Wednesday, 16 April 2008 Comments 18
Some psychiatrists have been slow to acknowledge research evidence raising questions about the effectiveness of antidepressants in treating depression, writes Jon Jureidini.
Tuesday, 15 April 2008 Comments 3
It will be a wasted opportunity if the 2020 Summiteers can’t broaden the health debate beyond hospitals and health education, writes Professor Fran Baum.
Monday, 14 April 2008 Comments 19
At the 2020 Summit, I will be arguing that Australian taxpayers should stop paying for medical treatments that don’t work or are of only marginal benefit, writes Professor Peter Brooks.
Friday, 11 April 2008 Comments 5
How much are Australians willing to pay in order to close the 17-year gap between Aboriginal life expectancy and that of other Australians by 2030? ponders Gavin Mooney.
Wednesday, 9 April 2008 Comments 11
What do we want from our health system? That deceptively simple question should be fundamental to all of the debate now occurring about the future of our health system and policies, writes John Menadue.
Tuesday, 8 April 2008 Comments 17
The 2020 Summit is not off to a good start, in the health area anyway, judging by the content of the background paper that will be used to guide health discussions, writes Melissa Sweet.
Friday, 4 April 2008 Comments 16
Pharmaceutical giant CSL has been exercising its muscle at Queensland Uni. Is academic freedom under threat elsewhere? Melissa Sweet wants to know...
Thursday, 3 April 2008 Comments 9
Rudd wants to throw money at preventive health. But how should this be done? Dr Lesley Russell poses the question.
MORE HERE
Wednesday, 2 April 2008 Comments 8
The AMA is the highest profile lobby group in the country. So why should it have a place at the 2020 Summit as the AMA so strongly argues, wrote Jennifer Doggett in today's Crikey. What do you think? MORE HERE
Tuesday, 1 April 2008 Comments 12
How can we help encourage a freer flow of information on public health research? wonders Melissa Sweet.
MORE HERE
Monday, 31 March 2008 Comments 32
A Lancet paper asks an intriguing question: could Indigenous smokers simply be paid to stop smoking? Innovation or idiocy? asks Simon Chapman. Read more here.