Author: healthprofessionalradio

Overview

• The Federal Government has dumped plans to cut the rebate for short GP visits by $20, amid a fierce political backlash and stiff opposition from doctors.

• An epilepsy support group has endorsed Keira MP Ryan Park’s calls for access to medical marijuana to be made available quickly, saying the drug can stop seizures in patients who suffer as many as 400 seizures a day.

• The major parties should subsidise fruit and vegetables in some communities to combat an obesity crisis in Queensland, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) says.

Overview

• Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended the Government’s decision to cut the Medicare rebate for short consultations, amid concerns patients will end up paying more.

• ACT Police are investigating the death of a second elderly patient at the Jindalee Aged Care Residence in Canberra’s south.

• Domestic violence victims working for Telstra will have access to ten extra days of paid leave a year under a new policy. The leave policy, launched on November 24 last year to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Overview

• A worldwide research project led by Brisbane researchers has uncovered six new gene variations that increase a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer.

• Pharmacists will soon be able to administer flu vaccines to South Australians for the first time. The move follows a successful trial in Queensland, which saw an additional 11,000 people get vaccinated over a five-month period.

• Researchers at Deakin University have challenged soft drink manufacturers’ claims that caffeine improves taste, calling for the use of the addictive substance to be more tightly regulated.

Overview

• A Perth inquest is examining the death of a 68-year-old woman who died after she had two teeth removed by a dentist. Myo Moriaty bled to death the day after the procedure in December 2010.

• Doctors are warning against the New South Wales Government relaxing its lockout laws, citing a huge reduction in drug and alcohol-related injuries.

• Voluntary euthanasia advocate Philip Nitschke is taking on a new challenge – a stand-up comedy show alongside a terminally ill partner.

Overview

• Educators and health professionals from around the country gathered at the University of Wollongong this last week to finalise the curriculum for Australia’s first course in Indigenous Trauma Recovery.

• A mass HIV outbreak in a Cambodian village was most likely caused by contaminated medical equipment, the World Health Organisation and Cambodian health ministry say. The unlicensed Cambodian doctor has been charged with murder after he admitted reusing needles and syringes at his clinic.

• Attracting and retaining doctors can be a tough task in remote outback Queensland. But in the small town of Winton, an Indian GP is thriving in her new home and says she has no plans to move on.

Overview

• AMA President, A/Prof Brian Owler, said today that the 2014-15 holiday period road toll is unchanged from last year, with too many lives still being lost on our roads.

• A pro-vaccination group has asked Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to deny a controversial American anti-vaccination campaigner a visa to speak in Australia.

• The children of parents who are in a Canberra drug rehabilitation program will be forced into foster care if federal funding is cut, according to the operators of the program.