The case of Jayant Patel may have disappeared from the news headlines but it has left a lasting impression on how Australians view internationally trained doctors, says Dr. Tanveer Ahmed.
Health
Not milk? Beware the secret chemicals found in infant formulas
Lots of mothers use powdered formula to supplement their breastmilk supply. But just what chemicals do they use to get that human milk taste?
How the Patel case has changed the world of health care for ever
Some doctors are concerned about Jayant Patel’s conviction for manslaughter and his sentence to seven years imprisonment. Why? Because it sets a dangerous precedent, writes Professor Merrilyn Walton.
Cutting the cord on home births
Medical intervention can be a wonderful thing during childbirth. But it can also be scary and unnecessary. So why is the government essentially legislating against home births? asks SJ Finn.
Some expert health tips for the new PM
Julia Gillard should set rid of the private health insurance subsidies and focus on primary health care and prevention, mental health, rural health and other under-served areas, say Croakey experts.
Mendoza: Mental health is “in crisis”
John Mendoza, who resigned last week as chairman of the National Advisory Council on Mental Health, gives a damning assessment of the Rudd government’s treatment of mental health.
On mental health, the Rudd government just isn’t listening
With a “deep sense of disappointment” Professor John Mendoza resigned as chair of the federal government’s National Advisory Council on Mental Health. And many others in the mental health sector share his abject lament.
The uncertain, scary future for doctors
There are now more than 13,600 known diseases, meaning doctors become specialists and ignore the medical system as a whole, Dr Atul Gawande told Stanford’s School of Medicine graduating class.
Your guide to the health/aged care reforms
Melissa Sweet offers a rather brutal summary of health reforms: a lot of money is being spent for most uncertain outcomes, while reforms seem to benefit the pharmaceutical industries more than the public purse.
Pimple popping: why make such a pus about it?
Why is it acceptable to blow snot out of your nose in front of people, but squeezing a pimple is seen as gross behaviour? A fascinating examination of why we love pimple popping, even if we’re ashamed.
Film review: Food Inc. — very relevant for Oz
Food Inc. is not just a documentary exposing America’s industrialised food system, it also encourages people to actively fight for a healthier, fairer food supply, says Mark Lawrence.
McGrath Foundation should break their ties with Blackmores
Cancer sufferers desperately need all the support they can get, writes Loretta Marron, but the link between the McGrath Foundation and Blackmores is questionable.
Panicking over the WHO influenza pandemic
Will the scandal about undeclared industry ties of experts who advised the World Health Organisation on pandemic influenza claim the scalp of the Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan? asks Melissa Sweet.
The demented act of caring for someone with dementia
Andrea Gillies tells the heartbreaking tale of caring for her Alzheimer’s afflicted mother-in-law, who slowly descended into a violent woman who hating bathing. Is being a “carer” actually a misguided act?
Abortion: a man’s right to choose
When it comes to abortion, men are usually shut out of the debate publicly. But if a couple decide to not have a child and then accidentally fall pregnant, should the man get a say if she wants to keep it?
Should solariums be banned?
Solaria expose people to turbocharged UV doses that have no place in any community that takes cancer prevention seriously, argues Simon Chapman. It is time the curtain fell on this deadly industry.
Come in Spinner: Sixth time lucky for aged-care communications
The Productivity Commission is starting what will be the sixth major inquiry into aged-care funding — a policy area that has become a no-go area because of poor initial communications, writes Noel Turnbull.
Why the mining tax is a win for public health
A tax on mining profits may be causing palpitations amongst mining industry chiefs, but it may be a positive for the broader population’s health, explains Professor Gavin Mooney.
Who benefits from the millions spent on health department PR?
The federal Department of Health and Ageing has paid more than $2.8 million for a private communications company to run its crisis media management for the past five years.
Diary of a Surgeon: How to set a world standard for health care
Surgical checklists cost almost nothing, yet have been shown to almost halve mortality and mortality in hospitals in which they are used, writes Professor Guy Maddern.
Why Australians live longer than Americans
A huge new study has found the risk of dying young in Australia has fallen dramatically over the past 40 years, but America is lagging badly behind. The difference? Universal health care.
Penberthy: Roxon the party pooper
Do-gooder Health minister Nicola Roxon is ruining it for all Australians who want to destroy their health with booze, bacon and cigarettes, says David Penberthy
Botched software upgrade produces mass X-ray failure
A botched $8.4 million software upgrade in Western Australia public hospitals has left radiology departments in chaos, delivering false patient X-ray results and constant crashes, writes Nicole Eckersley.
Does Macklin’s office have no shame?
Jenny Macklin’s dismissal of a review that has found income management is not making an impact on tobacco and healthy food sales in remote NT communities is an insult to the Government’s professed commitment to “evidence-based policy”, writes Melissa Sweet.
Can Columbia replace nose candy with nose jobs?
The Columbian city of Medellín was once the drug capital of the world, but now it’s trying to revive its economy by tapping into the growing market for “medical tourism”, offering cheap plastic surgery to tight-arsed but image-conscious Americans.
