Archived News for Health Sector Professionals

The Federal Government has announced $1 billion in spending over four years to start the roll out of the first stage of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The Federal Government has confirmed it will raise the low-income thresholds for the Medicare Levy and Medicare Levy Surcharge as part of the 2012-13 Budget.

In an Australian first, surgeons at Fremantle Hospital and The University of Western Australia believe a new method of repairing perforated ear drums could be a major advance in ear health.

Lupus patients show more severe symptoms of the disease if their vitamin D levels are low, an Australian-first study has found.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which affects more than five million people worldwide, was found to be worse in vitamin D deficient SLE patients than in those with normal levels, in the study led by Professor Eric Morand, head of the Monash Lupus Clinic and Southern Clinical School at Monash Medical Centre.

The research also observed that Australians are more susceptible to the disease due to environmental, genetic and cultural factors, which contribute to vitamin D deficiency.

Professor Morand said although practicing sun avoidance is important for lupus patients, as sunlight can make aspects of the disease worse, this can lead to vitamin D deficiency and an increase in the severity of the disease.

“In multicultural Australia, instances of vitamin D deficiency can be seen in cultural groups where clothing covers the body, in people with dark skin tone who have lower absorption, and those who practice sun avoidance” Professor Morand said.

The findings will be presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Rheumatology Association in Canberra.

Researchers are an important step closer to finding a vaccine that protects against a wide range of strains of meningococcal B - the most common cause of meningococcal disease in Western Australia.

The Imperial College of London has announced a breakthrough in breast cancer research, detailing findings that reveal a strong connection between molecular, or ‘epigenetic’, changes and the risk of blood cancer, meaning that early detection of the disease could be only a blood test away.

The Federal Government has outlined a $515.3 million spending initiative in the 2012-13 Budget aimed at significantly reducing times on public dental waiting lists.

The Victorian Minister for Mental Health Mary Wooldridge has released a consultation paper to drive the reform of Victoria's community-based mental health services.

The Federal Government ihas announced it will provide $490 million over five years for the Medicare Teen Dental Plan.

The fabrication of implantable electronics has begun at the University of New South Wales ahead of planned patient tests of a functional bionic eye next year. 

The University of Wollongong’s newly appointed Australian Laureate Fellow Professor Gordon Wallace has launched a new $4.7 million medical bionics research program to develop ways to regenerate damaged nerves and muscles and ground-breaking brain implants for epilepsy patients.

International travellers, shift workers and even people suffering from obesity-related conditions stand to benefit from a key discovery about the functioning of the body's internal clock.

Australian researchers are calling for the open sharing of clinical trial data in the medical research community, saying it would be instrumental in eliminating bottlenecks and duplication, and lead to faster and more trustworthy evidence for many of our most pressing health problems.

A new $213 million blood processing facility has been opened in Melbourne which will manufacture about 30 per cent of Australia’s national fresh blood supply.

The new centre, the largest in Australia, replaces an older facility that was no longer fit for purpose.

The Australian Government is contributing more than half of the cost of the new facility and its future running costs, with the remainder funded by the state governments.

The Australian Government contribution is through its $5 billion Health and Hospital Fund established in 2009.

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service will operate the new Melbourne centre under a funding agreement with the National Blood Authority.

The Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) has appointed Dr John Skerritt as the new National Manager of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)

Australia’s  first National Centre of Research Excellence in Nursing has been launched at Griffith University's South Bank campus.

Griffith University Vice Chancellor, Professor Ian O'Connor, described nursing at Griffith University as a major teaching and research strength and said NCREN was a platform for the further development of clinical nursing research expertise in Australia.

More than 10,000 nurses have graduated from Griffith University.

NCREN has received $2.5 million funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council for an initial five-year program of research focused on skin integrity and symptom management.

Ten chief investigators, among them eight nurses, are leading the research which is building an unprecedented body of evidence to inform nursing practices into the future.

The centre is partnered with the Gold Coast, Princess Alexandra and Royal Brisbane and Women’s hospitals in southeast Queensland, and the partnerships have already also extended to the Prince Charles and Royal Children's hospitals in Brisbane.

The Australian National University, the University of Canberra and the Southern General Practice Network have received joint funding of $31 million to improve medical care infrastructure in the Canberra region.

Australians are now able to have their say on the nation’s first Report Card on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, through a new online survey available at http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/report_card

The release of the online survey follows a series of four Roundtable discussions, with over 140 prominent Australians from across the mental health and related sectors, which were held in Sydney.

The Federal Government has announced the formation of three expert groups to help inform the design of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

ACT Chief Minister and Minister for Health Katy Gallagher MLA welcomed the start of the ban on smoking in cars with children under the age of 16.