Category: Health

Every single transaction expends precious time of attention; time which is even more precious amidst the escalating claims on our attention. Those needing support and treatment are hoping to have their circumstances and problems understood, they seek attention, attention to the way their lives have been affected. (more…)

A general practitioner will be required to supervise nurse practitioners as they administer the COVID-19 vaccine, a decision that was made without concerns of health and safety. This means under-resourced and at-risk communities will be slower to gain access to the vaccine,

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While there are more than 200 vaccines against Covid-19 being developed, there are now seven vaccines being widely distributed and used around the world. Do they all work? That depends on how you judge “works” often described in terms of  “efficacy” in achieving desired goals.
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The CSIRO Future of Health Report cites the importance of patient-centred healthcare but the current state is that the Australian healthcare system is cited both nationally and globally as too complex to navigate. Finding the consumer in the current system is likened to a game of Where’s Wally. In the 1990s, patient activism in HIV/AIDS was a driving force of change and political voice in the sector. The pervading mantra was “the best way to predict the future is to invent it”. (more…)

In 1974, the Whitlam Government decided to exclude dental care from Medicare for two reasons. The first was cost. The second was political. Whitlam felt that combatting the doctors would be hard enough without having to combat dentists as well. Forty-six years later, with Australia much richer and the proven success of Medicare, it is now time for dental care to be progressively included in Medicare.

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Ten months ago I wrote about the opportunities the pandemic provided to tackle the many problems of our health ‘system’. I have watched with dismay as those opportunities have been frittered away, first by the Federal Government and more recently by the federal Labor Party. (more…)

 Casual workers are fair game but the government is not prepared to tackle the very serious workforce inefficiencies  in our large and growing health sector.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about an unprecedented mobilisation of advanced biotechnology globally. Progress in developing, testing and deploying vaccines has proceeded with breathtaking speed. China-Russia collaboration is helping to get cheap and effective Covid-19 vaccines to the developing world. (more…)

Our Socioecological interdependence requires us to be in effective relationship with each other and our environment. Who we are, on what we depend, and what we can do to maintain a habitable, healthy, and sustainable place for all now matter more than ever. (more…)

Our biggest weakness in protecting the community from Covid-19 remains a hotel quarantine system that demonstrably is not fit for purpose. Here’s how to fix our quarantine system once and for all.

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A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a Registered Nurse with the experience and expertise to diagnose and treat people of all ages with a variety of acute or chronic health conditions. NPs have completed additional university study at Master’s degree level and are the most senior clinical nurses in our health care system.  (more…)

Two outbreaks of Covid in Victoria occurred among Greek and Urdu communities – entirely predictable given that diverse communities had long been identified as potentially vulnerable. Despite repeated warnings no one in authority seemed to want to know. That is now being rectified to ensure the message on vaccines is heard loud and clear, with Health Minister Greg Hunt’s announcement that the federal government is to fund a significant communication campaign guided by specialist and community input. (more…)