How to fake brain surgeryA fascinating look at Michael Goto, who worked on ER and reveals how he creates realistic looking medical procedures. The monitors are real, the actors lie on sunken beds and the blood comes from the scalpel.
Medical treatments
Having a baby will no longer cost an arm and a leg
The Federal Budget cuts to the obstetric safety net took effect on January 1. But are families in for an “expensive surprise”? Actually, it’ll be a fairer system designed to cut down on inflated medical costs by providers, writes Sally Tracy.
Swiss voters support heroin-assisted treatment
Medicine works exceptionally well when policy and practice is based on research evidence, writes Dr Alex Wodak.
Hannah’s heart: a question of autonomy
Hannah Jones’ case in the UK raises numerous points of debate in medical ethics, the most prominent of which is the place of the state in the decisions citizens make about their lives, and deaths, writes Michael Robertson and Ian Kerridge.
Sounding the alarm on the legal takeover of mental health
If the laws of a community reflect its values, what do the recent modifications of the NSW Mental Health Act say about the value we place on liberty? Michael Robertson and Ian Kerridge write.
Decriminalising abortion — what now for the other states?
What are the implications for other states, now that abortion has been decriminalised in Victoria, asks Caroline DeCosta.
My 2020 idea: Stop funding ineffective medical treatments
It is well past time that Australian taxpayers stopped paying for medical treatments that don’t work or are of only marginal benefit, writes Professor Peter Brooks.
