Richmond safe injecting room trial approved by Victorian Government The Victorian Government’s decision to approve a two-year trial of a medically supervised injecting room in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Richmond – the city’s acknowledged heroin capital – has been hailed as a life-saving measure.
Chief Medical Officer slams reports cheap vaccine to blame for record flu season Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, has slammed reports suggesting the use of cheap flu vaccine led to Australia’s worst ever flu season, calling them ‘utterly false’. ‘I could not be clearer – I completely refute this false claim,’ he said in a statement.
World Mental Health Day As the healthcare profession marks World Mental Health Day, a recent RACGP benchmark report has revealed that psychological issues are presenting in almost two-thirds of Australian GPs’ consultations.
Ochre Day 2017 Today marks the beginning of the 2017 Ochre Day Conference (4–5 October) in Darwin, an Aboriginal men’s health initiative developed by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO). This year’s events will provide a showcase of best practice health delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and facilitate discussions about how to develop a men’s health strategy on local, state and national levels.
Medication questions for assisted dying While Victoria’s Voluntary Assisted Dying bill successfully passed the state’s Lower House last week, it still faces a number of challenges before becoming law – not least when it comes to the practical matter of medication.
Productivity Commission report recognises importance of general practice in Australian healthcare The Productivity Commission’s latest report, released to the public yesterday, contains detailed recommendations for a significant overhaul of Australia’s health system, including strong recognition of the importance of preventive and primary care.
GPs criticise Pharmacy Guild on codeine rescheduling Prominent GP Dr Evan Ackermann is critical of the Pharmacy Guild’s recent action of sending a letter to Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt seeking to maintain over-the-counter access to codeine-based medications.
The conversation around death and dying With Victorian Government’s proposed ‘Voluntary assisted dying’ bill set to be debated in parliament this week, prominent GP and past President of AMA Victoria, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, argues that safeguards in the bill may not be adequate to protect a vulnerable patient population.
After-hours care not value for money The current structure of after-hours healthcare provision in Australia ‘supports the provision of comparatively low-value medical care and does not represent value for money for the taxpayer’, the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review Taskforce has found in its final report.
Assisted dying laws passed Victoria has passed a historic assisted dying bill this morning following a marathon parliamentary session that lasted more than 24 hours.