During 1937, Lang Hancock from the Mulga Downs pastoral station in Western Australia began mining and milling activities for blue asbestos (crocidolite) at the nearby Yampire Gorge. (more…)
Category: Health
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Vaping: A disruptive innovation of smoking and rapidly replacing cigarettes
Recognised as a concept over three decades ago, “disruptive innovations” are new and improved ways of meeting consumers’ needs that generally sweep away conventional approaches of market-leading firms by a process of creative destruction. (more…)
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Living with schizophrenia
The title of this book is emblematic. It gets to the heart of the problem of schizophrenia, indeed within the authors’ preface. (more…)
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Dental health – time for a small, cost-effective revolution
In the many years I’ve been writing about the dental divide, the only movement I’ve seen is in the increasingly bad numbers around poor oral health, waiting lists and costs to patients. It’s time to see dental caries as a preventable disease. (more…)
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Super for teeth: Australia’s hidden dental crisis
Australians are increasingly raiding retirement savings to fix their teeth. New guidance from AHPRA and the ATO warns against abusive models. What’s really going on – and what should change? (more…)
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Harm reduction is ubiquitous and effective so why doesn’t Australia use it for tobacco?
Harm reduction policies are widespread, and generally work, are safe and cost-effective. (more…)
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Stark contrasts in health of returning hostages
Peter Slezak has been keeping a watching brief on the both harrowing and joyous scenes as prisoners and hostages from Palestine and Israel were freed this week. He has gathered sources for P&I readers and observes the following. (more…)
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Reclaiming care in the age of AI
Sixty years ago, the patient-doctor interaction was, at its best, about human beings connecting, engaging, listening, observing and caring. (more…)
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Who would be a carer?
Whether because of temporary disability or permanent need, the demand for accessible “holiday” accommodation is growing with our ageing population. (more…)
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Dying in prison
The political predilection for punishment is contributing to yet another stressor on prisons. As Australia’s prison population ages, so, too, do inmates risk dying inside. (more…)
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Australia faces a looming crisis of older women retiring in poverty. Here’s what we can do
Australia faces a serious challenge. Despite important progress on gender equality over recent decades, a looming crisis now threatens the economic security of older women. Without urgent and bold action, we risk consigning further generations of women to poverty in retirement. (more…)
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The malignant minds taking over the American health sector
“He enjoyed showing people how he put baby chickens and mice in the blender to feed his hawks.” It was a striking description of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., written by his cousin, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy. (more…)
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Bernie and AOC explain how Trump and GOP are about to double insurance premiums for millions of Americans
“This messaging is approximately 142 times better,” said one political observer, “than Democrats are getting from leadership.” (more…)
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States increase pressure on Commonwealth to address hospital cost increases
Hark back to December 2023. National Cabinet endorsed a historic agreement setting the parameters for future Commonwealth-state sharing of public hospital costs over the next decade. (more…)
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Australia’s mental health services are buckling due to rising demand, staff shortages and patient violence
Interventions such as formal support systems are needed for Australia’s exhausted, overwhelmed mental health nurses. (more…)
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What should Australian Governments do about ‘mental health’?
Along with climate change and ecological damage, Australians face an equally important challenge of exposure to stressful social conditions leading to declining psychological health for millions. (more…)
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How AI-based eye scans can detect high blood sugar, heart disease
Retinal scans, aided by artificial intelligence, may soon offer doctors a simple, non-invasive way to detect several medical conditions. (more…)
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Interview that described the hell Gaza has become
I am sure I am not the only person who stopped what she was doing early on Tuesday morning to listen the most anguished interview I have ever heard on radio. (more…)
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Government is planning hardship for older Australians living at home
Aged care has again been in the media for all the wrong reasons. Two failures are attracting particular attention. (more…)
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1 in 3 Australians in their late 60s are still working, new HILDA survey shows
Australia has seen a dramatic transformation of retirement over the past 20 years, with more Australians delaying retirement than ever before, reshaping expectations for later life. (more…)
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Fewer friends, more time stress: the essential charts from this year’s HILDA survey
Every year, one of Australia’s biggest longitudinal surveys provides a range of insights on how the nation is changing. (more…)
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Five ways to keep kids safe in Australia’s health system
One in five Australians is a child, but too often kids’ healthcare is inconsistent, fragmented, and not designed with their needs front and centre. (more…)
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This report measures our national well-being across five key areas. Health trends are not improving
In 2023, Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced the government would measure what matters to the well-being of Australians as a complement to the traditional economic measures in the national accounts. (more…)
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Climate code blue: Why hospitals must lead the healing of our planet
Hospitals must lead – not only for better patient outcomes, but for the healing of our planet. The next chapter in healthcare leadership will be written by those who can drive change for both. (more…)
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Volunteer doctors describe how Israeli troops ‘deliberately targeted’ Gaza children
“How is it possible that, in this small hospital, four children are lying here with gunshot wounds to the head – all admitted within the past 48 hours?” said one US trauma surgeon. (more…)
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The long-term damaging effects of COVID
Just as the Great Plague ravaged Europe and changed the course of history, we face a different society and future because of the COVID pandemic. Differing responses to dealing with the virus reveal gaping holes in the social fabric. (more…)
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Aged care crises continue under Labor
It has been four years since the final report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was tabled in federal parliament. (more…)
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Health workers in the US are demanding the resignation of Robert Kennedy Jr
When I worked in the US, I visited the Centre for Disease Control on a number of occasions. The faculty members were extraordinarily competent and influential, because of the universal and deserved respect for the CDC. (more…)
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As Florida ends all childhood vaccine mandates, doctors fear preventable diseases will ‘come roaring back’
“Florida’s decision to erase school vaccine requirements will cause preventable illness and death,” said one immunologist. “Not just for kids in Florida, for whole communities, of all ages, across the country.” (more…)
