The Health News Australia August 23 2017

Overview

• The peak body for psychiatrists wants more accommodation for older West Australians with severe behavioural disturbances after an eighty eight-year-old man with worsening dementia was accused of fatally stabbing his wife.
• Private health insurer NIB has rejected accusations that some policies are “junk” insurance that fail to provide cover above what the public system already offers.
  
• Adelaide could be a huge drawcard for international tourists seeking a “health and wellbeing” experience, a leading Chinese tourism expert says.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 23rd of August 2017. Read by Tabetha Moreto. Health News

http://www.9news.com.au/health/2017/08/21/12/09/murder-highlights-wa-dementia-bed-shortage

The peak body for psychiatrists wants more accommodation for older West Australians with severe behavioural disturbances after an eighty eight-year-old man with worsening dementia was accused of fatally stabbing his wife. A murder charge against John Huggins over the death of his seventy five-year-old wife at their Piara Waters home in March was dismissed last week as he will never be fit to plea. Huggins, who was cared for by his wife of fifty six years, remains in a secure ward at a hospital that caters for older adults with mental health issues and is waiting for a room at one of two dementia-specific nursing homes in Perth. Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists WA branch chair Elizabeth Moore said there was a significant shortage of high dependency accommodation for elderly people with severe behavioural disturbances in WA, with only sixteen beds available.

Doctor Moore called on the state government to invest in more beds and new purpose-built infrastructure to care for the needs of such vulnerable patients. While it has flagged adding ten new long-stay beds for older adults, modelling suggests about ninety beds are needed to cope with demand.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-21/nib-boss-defends-health-insurance-against-junk-accusations/8827068

Private health insurer NIB has rejected accusations that some policies are “junk” insurance that fail to provide cover above what the public system already offers. The Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) president Michael Gannon said many cheaper policies were all but useless and has called for the law to be changed to ensure all policies contain a minimum level of cover. He said that the Government has the power to legislate — to make sure that [the policies] are worthwhile for people who take them out.

If you’re about to hit your thirties and you haven’t yet got private health insurance, the time to decide is now. Last year, consumer advocacy group Choice published a list of seven popular “junk” health insurance policies, which it described as a “waste of money for consumers and taxpayers”.NIB’s basic hospital policy was on that list, along with some policies from major rival Medibank Private, HCF, Australian Unity, Defence Health and HIF. The AMA is pushing a plan to streamline thousands of private health insurance policies into simple gold, silver and bronze categories — so people know what they are paying for.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/chinese-tourism-expert-suggests-adelaide-should-market-itself-as-a-health-tourism-hotspot/news-story/cb6da3892ed8291aba5ab65842726ba0

Adelaide could be a huge drawcard for international tourists seeking a “health and wellbeing” experience, a leading Chinese tourism expert says. Anthony Coles, founder of the Sinosphere Australia consultancy serving Australian and Chinese clients on trade and investment, says Adelaide could be promoted to the world, and especially Asia, as a wellness destination. He pointed to the planned proton therapy centre at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute as an example of a potential drawcard. The centre, which will be the first of its type in the southern hemisphere, enables doctors to specifically target tumours in sensitive places in the body, with less risk of damaging surrounding organs.

Mister Coles’ call come as State Government figures show South Australia’s tourism sector is booming — yet at a rate much slower than the national average.The tourism investment expert, who also chairs the Australia China Business Council — SA Tourism Working Group, said building two of the therapy units could double South Australia’s inbound flights from China.

He said visitors could take advantage of a world class health system and then recover by the beach, Murray, or in the state’s wineries.