Author: healthprofessionalradio

Overview

• A patient has been isolated at a Brisbane hospital and is being tested for the Ebola virus after arriving from West Africa and developing a fever.

• Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and their families are celebrating after the Federal Government listed a drug on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) that will help treat some people with the genetic disease.

• The Australian Medical Association (AMA) wants assurances that a Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal will not push up medicine prices.

Overview

• Federal Government officials have confirmed for the first time that key allies have asked Australia to send medical teams to West Africa to help combat the Ebola crisis.

• Liver experts at a conference on the Gold Coast have been warned Australia is on the verge of a catastrophic death spiral from Hepatitis C.

• A team of doctors who helped a paralysed man walk again are seeking new patients so they can establish their breakthrough was not a one-off.

Overview

• Darek Fidyk, a 38-year-old Bulgarian with a completely severed spinal cord has walked again with the help of some cells from his nose.

• The nation’s Chief Medical Officer says it would be two weeks before an Australian emergency medical team could respond to an Ebola outbreak in the Asia-Pacific.

• Scientists from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research received $10.7 million in peer reviewed grant funding, out of a total funding pool of $538.8 million, in the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council.

Overview

• Queensland’s auditor-general has uncovered a multi-billion-dollar debacle in the planning and delivery of three new hospitals.

• While love for our own kind might drive us to fight with others, thinking our enemy is driven by hate can hinder conflict resolution, say researchers.

• A 71-year-old with a rare form of cancer is back on his feet after having his heel removed and replaced with a 3D printed titanium replica.

Overview

• Nigeria has been declared free of Ebola after a 42-day period without a reported case of the deadly virus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says.

• Outlaw motorcycle gangs are recruiting children to cook crystal meth and targeting young people in country towns, a Four Corners investigation has found.

• The Federal Government has put a $1.55 to $2 per share price range on its Medibank Private float. While the shares may end up being priced below or above the indicative range depending on demand.

Overview

• It’s estimated thousands of Australians are risking arrest by using cannabis for medical reasons. A national clinical trial has been announced but legalisation could be many years away, and then for expensive pharmaceutical drugs only. Di Martin investigates the science and the politics of medical cannabis.

• The Queensland Government says there has been a massive reduction in patients waiting for elective surgery, but the Opposition claims the figures are being fudged.

• A growing number of recreational and professional athletes have been avoiding gluten in a bid to boost their performance, but there has been little scientific evidence of whether the dietary strategy works.

Overview

• Early trials of naturally-occurring chemicals in turmeric, blueberries, Gingko biloba and green tea suggest they may help prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease, say experts.

• There is little prospect the Federal Government will send health care workers or Defence personnel to fight Ebola in West Africa, because there is no way to ensure an infected worker could be adequately treated.

• People who lose weight quickly are no more likely to pile the kilos back on than dieters who lose them slowly, according to a new study.

Overview

• Apple and Facebook are reportedly offering to pay up to $20,000 for female employees to freeze their reproductive eggs, in a bid to hold on to their best workers.

• UnitingCare says Queensland’s first digital hospital sets a precedent for health care across the country. St Stephens Hospital in Hervey Bay, which opened today.

• Cancer Council Victoria says its latest figures show thyroid cancer is now three times more common among women than men.