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Rural doctors say 16,000 more health professionals are urgently needed in the bush

Doctors working in rural Australia have called on the government to offer better incentives to keep doctors in the bush.

20 Feb 2008

NSW nurses push for 5% pay rise

Nurses in New South Wales have rejected a proposed 2.5 per cent pay rise by the State Government and are after a 5 per cent pay rise in a new wage and conditions claim.

17 Feb 2008

$98 million new hospital deemed dysfunctional

A brand new $98 million hospital in Bathurst in NSW's central west has been deemed so unsafe that routine elective surgery has been suspended; doctors at the hospital say there are serious flaws in the design and construction of the facilities.

17 Feb 2008

New spine center at UT Southwestern

UT Southwestern Medical Center has launched a multidisciplinary Spine Center that features top physicians from diverse fields who work together to treat one of the most common problems plaguing our aging society: back pain.

14 Feb 2008

NSW bottom of the league when it comes to public health spending

Figures in the latest report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare have revealed a few surprises.

13 Feb 2008

NSW public hospitals below par with obsolete equipment

The latest report from the New South Wales (NSW) Auditor-General office offers more evidence that the state's public hospital systems are falling below par in some respects.

13 Feb 2008

It's official! mega-lift ambulances confirm Australia's obesity problem

It seems that obesity has become such a problem in Australia that some states have been forced to buy super-size ambulances to cope with those patients who are so fat they cannot fit inside a regular size ambulance.

13 Feb 2008

Study confirms that low-calorie sweeteners are helpful in weight control

A recent review of the scientific literature concluded that low-calorie (or no-calorie) sweeteners may be of help in resolving the obesity problem.

11 Feb 2008

Faith-based health program expands, adds Latino classes

A nationally-recognized, faith-based physical activity and health promotion program that helps individuals adopt healthy lifestyles and manage chronic diseases is re-launching and extending its services to the African American and Latino communities in Monroe County.

8 Feb 2008

Research continues to prove that medical liability reforms work

New research on medical liability reforms continues to show that caps on non-economic damages are effective, lowering medical liability premiums, resulting in an increased supply of physicians to care for patients.

6 Feb 2008

Shake-up for Welsh 999 service

Wales has unveiled new plans to improve emergency and out-of-hours care, developed in partnership with UNISON.

6 Feb 2008

NACDS launches campaign to expand role in healthcare debate

Pharmacy is vital to healthcare quality, affordability and accessibility, and should be valued and utilized more completely. That is the message of a major advertising campaign launched today by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) as part of its increasingly proactive outreach to policymakers to tell the story of its members.

4 Feb 2008

New York State Health Department begins $1.75 million campaign to promote long-term care insurance

New York State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D., today announced a $1.75 million statewide media campaign to promote the purchase of long-term care insurance, including the state's Partnership for Long-Term Care, by New York residents ages 40 to 65.

4 Feb 2008

Bush's efforts to rein in government spending places a dangerous target on health care

President George W. Bush today submitted his budget proposal to Congress for fiscal year 2009. In response Bruce Roberts, RPh, executive vice president and CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) issued the following statement:

4 Feb 2008

Massachusetts health care subsidy program cost, enrollment could double over three years

Commonwealth Care, Massachusetts' subsidized health insurance program, is expected to double in enrollment and cost by June 2011, which "would far outstrip the original plans" for the program "largely because state officials underestimated the number of uninsured residents," the Boston Globe reports.

4 Feb 2008

Florida Governor proposes $70B budget; includes $132M in cuts to Medicaid

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) on Thursday unveiled a $70 billion state budget for fiscal year 2009 that would reduce spending on health care by $132 million and that includes new initiatives to expand health coverage, the Orlando Sentinel reports (Kennedy/Deslatte, Orlando Sentinel, 2/1). Crist proposed reducing Medicaid reimbursements for HMOs by $60 million (Follick, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 2/1).

4 Feb 2008

Hillary Clinton discusses enforcement mechanism for health insurance mandate

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) on Sunday during an appearance on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" discussed her proposal to require all U.S. residents to obtain health insurance and "inched closer ... to explaining how she would enforce" the requirement but "declined to specify -- as she has throughout the campaign -- how she would penalize those who refuse," the New York Times reports.

4 Feb 2008

New analysis looks at how income affects the purchase of individual health coverage

With some federal and state policy makers considering ways to encourage more people to purchase non-group, or individual, health care coverage, a new analysis by Kaiser Family Foundation researchers examines how often people at different income levels buy such coverage when they do not have access to employer coverage or do not obtain public coverage.

4 Feb 2008

BMA(NI) response to RPA announcement

Commenting on the Ministerial announcement today, 4 February 2008, on the Review of Public Administration, Dr Ailbe Beirne, Deputy Chairman of BMA(NI) said: "We are pleased to see the Minister continues to be committed to reform of the NHS here and we will be responding in full to the consultation, once it is in the public domain."

4 Feb 2008