Author: healthprofessionalradio

Overview

• Victoria’s Government and Opposition have both pledged to hold an inquiry into the state’s disability sector, amid allegations one of Australia’s biggest disability providers failed to act on warnings about carers who went on to sexually assault vulnerable clients.

• Children in Canberra as young as 13 are among the growing number of young people abusing the drug known as ice, according to a drug treatment service.

• Hundreds of Australians allegedly poisoned by Bonsoy toxic soy milk are set to share in a $25 million settlement, in what is believed to be the country’s biggest ever payout concerning food safety.

Overview

• Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says the $5.679 billion raised from the sale of Medibank Private will be invested in infrastructure, as promised.

• The Queensland Government has announced a ‘wait time guarantee’ policy that will reduce elective surgery waiting lists.

• The AMA recently released a new guide for medical students and doctors on the proper use of personal mobile devices – including smart phones, cameras, tablets, laptops, and portable music devices – when taking and transmitting clinical images.

Overview

• The Geneva-based Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) is overseeing the development of the new test, which experts have said will be key to overcoming the Ebola outbreak. FIND director Catharina Boehme described the current Ebola testing procedure as complicated, risky and expensive.

• An external review of a key area of the Royal Adelaide Hospital has found bullying and unprofessional behaviour remain rife.

• An ABC investigation has found some states and territories are poorly resourced when it comes to helping women deal with postpartum psychosis.

Overview

• Twenty-five toilets decorated by New South Wales artists have been put on display in Sydney for World Toilet Day – a UN initiative to raise awareness about the number of people around the world without access to toilets.

• Activities that stimulate and challenge the brain, such as dancing or learning a foreign language, may help to reduce the risk of dementia, experts say.

• Chemists at the Australian National University (ANU) have discovered a new way to manufacture rare chemicals that occur naturally in coral, and used the method to make a powerful anti-inflammatory drug.

Overview

• The study, presented today at the International Early Psychosis Conference in Japan, lends weight to the theory that concentrated fish oil, which contains omega-3 fatty acids, may help prevent the development of psychosis.

• Analysts say the inclusion of a range of professional services in Australia’s Fair Trade Agreement (FTA) deal with China marks a shift in the focus of Australia’s bilateral trade negotiations.

• Premature deaths among the elderly from a common heart problem could be averted if hospital care was replaced with out-of-home care, a landmark study has found.

Overview

• One Direction, Bono and Chris Martin feature in the video for the new Band Aid single to raise money for anti-Ebola charities that has premiered on British television on Sunday.

• Family Court Chief Justice Diana Bryant says she would like to see the court’s jurisdiction tested in cases involving medical treatment for transgender children.

• A senior Indian health official has warned that an antibiotic linked to the deaths of at least 13 women who underwent sterilisation operations may contain a toxin found in rat poison.

Overview

• The Government has announced it is planning to bring in laws which would prohibit adults giving alcohol to children without the permission of parents.

• Doctors and nurses from across Australia have been training in Darwin to ensure they are prepared should there an Ebola outbreak in the Asia-Pacific region.

• The Victorian Government says it will allocate $127 million to deal with the rising rates of obesity and chronic illnesses if it is re-elected later this month.