Category Archives: Health

Rally organisers and police reach agreement – as it happened

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The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, is speaking with ABC RN from New Zealand where he is meeting with regional counterparts.

Asked about the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, and whether “ceasefire negotiations in Gaza are now dead”, Marles said the “continued violence in the Middle East is obviously giving rise to enormous threat to civilian life”.

I think the international community is desperate to see an end to this violence, and certainly that’s how we’re exercising our international voice.

Israel has a right to defend itself. Every country has a right to defend itself, and to do so in a proportionate way. That said, we are calling for a ceasefire, along with the United States, along with other members of the international community.

The continued violence in the Middle East is giving rise to … unacceptable numbers of civilian lives lost, and the ongoing violence is a threat to civilian life. And we, along with international community, urge an end to this.

We have [been protesting for] 51 weeks in a row, [and it’s been] absolutely peaceful. Millions of Australians have come out, it’s not provocative at all.

What’s provocative is the fact that our government isn’t listening to tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of Australians, who have signed petitions, called their MPs, have done everything they’re supposed to do within this democratic framework to say ‘enough’ …

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Migration during adolescence linked to increased psychosis risk, study finds

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Risk found to be highest among black and north African people, as experts call for better mental health provision

People who migrate in adolescence have an increased risk of psychosis, researchers have found, noting the link is particularly strong among black and north African people.

While research has previously suggested migration could play a role in the increased risk of psychosis among people from ethnic minorities, the study suggests age could be an important factor.

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Greens reveal plan for 1,000 new health clinics with free medical and dental care across Australia

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Adam Bandt to announce $54bn policy for at least six clinics in every electorate paid for by ‘Robin Hood’ tax reform

The Greens want to open 1,000 new health clinics nationwide with free medical and dental care, in a $54bn policy the minor party says it would push in the event of a hung parliament.

The party’s leader, Adam Bandt, will announce the commitment on Thursday in the seat of Perth – one of the Greens’ major targets at the next election.

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‘Life is pretty brutal’: concerns in India over high-pressure corporate jobs

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The death of a young chartered accountant has highlighted a work culture of overworked employees and bullying bosses

For the average Indian, the working week is now longer than ever – totalling almost 47 hours.

According to recent labour data, India now has one of the most overworked labour forces in the world, enduring longer hours than in China, Singapore and even Japan, a country renowned for its relentless work culture. On average, Indians work 13 hours longer every week than an employee in Germany.

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Targeted support could reduce infant mortality gap across England, study finds

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Researchers say interventions could address key factors, such as smoking, but ‘structural changes’ also needed

Four key factors have been identified that together account for more than one-third of the inequalities in infant deaths between the most and least deprived areas of England.

Researchers say targeted interventions to address these factors – teenage pregnancy, maternal depression, preterm birth and smoking during pregnancy – could go a significant way to reduce inequalities, although higher-level structural changes to address socioeconomic inequality will also be necessary.

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Doctors issue stark warning as Louisiana reclassifies abortion pills

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Officials class mifepristone and misoprostol as ‘controlled substances’ – which medics say could imperil women’s lives

Two common abortion pills are, as of Tuesday, classified as “controlled substances” in Louisiana, due to a first-of-its-kind law that medical professionals warn will endanger the lives of women by restricting medication used to treat postpartum hemorrhage and other conditions.

Louisiana, which already bans abortion, passed a law reclassifying mifepristone and misoprostol as schedule IV drugs – a designation typically reserved for drugs that carry a risk of abuse or dependence. People caught with the drugs without a valid prescription could face up to five years in prison, although pregnant women who procure it for their own use are exempted from punishment under the law.

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Assange says he is free because he ‘pled guilty to journalism’ – as it happened

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National weather forecasts

Sticking with the weather, here’s a look at the forecasts across Australia’s capital cities today:

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Streeting considers reviving dedicated cancer strategy after Tories axed it

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Health secretary is examining case for a comprehensive plan for England to tackle UK’s second-biggest killer

Wes Streeting may revive the use of a dedicated cancer strategy to tackle the UK’s second biggest killer after experts warned the Conservatives’ scrapping of it was “a disaster” for patients.

The health secretary is considering publishing a new comprehensive plan for England, amid record numbers of people being diagnosed with the disease and NHS cancer services struggling to meet demand.

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EPA will withdraw approval of Chevron plastic-based fuels likely to cause cancer

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The decision comes after a ProPublica and Guardian investigation revealed that the EPA had found that one of the fuels had a huge cancer risk

The US Environmental Protection Agency is planning to withdraw and reconsider its approval for Chevron to produce 18 plastic-based fuels, including some that an internal agency assessment found are highly likely to cause cancer.

In a recent court filing, the federal agency said it “has substantial concerns” that the approval order “may have been made in error”. The EPA gave a Chevron refinery in Mississippi the green light to make the chemicals in 2022 under a “climate-friendly” initiative intended to boost alternatives to petroleum, as ProPublica and the Guardian reported last year.

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Man who killed himself in Blackpool hospital was badly failed, says mother

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Jamie Pearson, 27, had waited nearly 24 hours to see an NHS mental health worker after taking an overdose in August

A 27-year-old man who killed himself in a hospital toilet after waiting nearly 24 hours to see a mental health professional was badly failed by the NHS, his mother has said.

Jamie Pearson was admitted to Blackpool Victoria hospital’s A&E department after taking an overdose of high-strength painkillers on 17 August.

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GP visits costing Australians more than ever, survey finds

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Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ 2024 report shows rising out-of-pocket costs hit vulnerable with chronic, complex and mental illnesses hardest

Out of pocket costs to visit general practitioners are higher than ever, a survey from the peak body for GPs has found, along with the first indications in a long time of a boost in GP workforce numbers.

The gap has risen to an average $36.86 for a 20-minute consult in 2024, up from $34.91 last year, according to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ 2024 health of the nation report.

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Queensland LNP promise voters ‘cheaper GP visits’ but Miles government calls it ‘nonsense’

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The state’s shadow treasurer, David Janetzki, says general practitioners would be exempt from payroll tax with David Crisafulli as premier

Queensland’s opposition claims visits to the doctor would be cheaper under an LNP government, but Labor said they haven’t explained how they will pay to make GPs exempt from payroll tax.

The shadow treasurer, David Janetzki, announced on Sunday that the party would make general practitioners a special category under the payroll tax act.

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Only 4.3% of stroke patients in England can access life-saving treatment

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Mechanical thrombectomy can save a patient from permanent disability or death, but its availability depends on where they live

Most stroke patients in England suitable for treatment that can save them from serious disability or even death cannot access it, new figures reveal.

It is estimated that at least 10% of stroke patients can benefit from a treatment known as mechanical thrombectomy. Under the procedure, a wire and stent is manoeuvred towards the brain to pull out the clot blocking the blood flow. The treatment reduces the adverse effects of a stroke and in the best outcomes a patient could walk out of hospital the next day.

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Kenneth died after routine knee surgery. His devastated family want answers

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Kenneth Toll, a 62-year-old diabetic, was found dead in a private NSW hospital’s bathroom three days after his operation

Craig Rose recalls catching up in a pub with his best friend of 35 years, Kenneth Toll, when they saw two old men sitting and laughing together at another table. Toll gave Rose a nudge and said: “That’ll be us one day”.

Toll was wrong.

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Events arm of Economist group to stop signing tobacco sponsorship deals

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Exclusive: Move signals change of policy that was causing health groups to withdraw from conferences and disquiet within media brand

The division of the Economist’s parent group that has come under fire over its commercial ties with the world’s three biggest tobacco companies is to stop doing any “new work” with tobacco companies.

The decision follows a Guardian investigation which revealed that Economist Impact, a division separate from the newspaper that runs events and includes paid-for and sponsored content on its website, was forced to cancel a high-profile cancer conference due to a backlash from speakers and organisations over its ties with big tobacco.

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‘People are dying’: rise of nitazenes should be treated as pandemic, injecting centre head says

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Exclusive: Dr Marianne Jauncey says NSW government must make ‘hard decisions’ to combat growing threat of synthetic opioids

The head doctor at Sydney’s medically supervised injecting centre has compared the rise of synthetic opioids to a pandemic and says she is worried the government isn’t willing to make the “hard decisions” necessary to prepare for it.

Dr Marianne Jauncey began raising the alarm about the increasing prevalence of nitazenes earlier this year but was concerned the Minns Labor government had been reluctant to act because it “still feels for many like an emerging news story”.

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Race to combat mpox misinformation as vaccine rollout in DRC begins

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Poll suggests half of Congolese have not heard of deadly disease, as conspiracy theories and rumours spread

For doctors and nurses fighting mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the virus itself is not the only enemy. They are also facing swirling rumours and misinformation.

The first of millions of promised doses of mpox vaccine have finally started to arrive. Now the focus is on ensuring that people who need them will take them when the vaccination campaign begins next month, and teaching wider communities how to protect themselves.

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Opposition leader calls for university’s leaders to quit – as it happened

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The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has joined an international push “to hold the Taliban to account” under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Wong says:

We know the women and girls of Afghanistan are effectively being erased from public life by the various edicts the Taliban … have issued.

The steps we are taking with Germany, Canada and the Netherlands are unprecedented. We are intending to use the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, to which Afghanistan is a party, to take action.

If I can … say again to the Australian Lebanese community. This is a deeply distressing situation for so many of you. I know that there are many Australians in Lebanon. There are many Australians who have relatives, family and friends in Lebanon. I again urge Australians in Lebanon to leave now. There are flight cancelations and disruptions, and there is a risk that Beirut airport may close for an extended period of time.

Please do not wait for a preferred route. Please take the first option you can to leave. We continue to monitor the situation closely. We have been working with partners on contingency plans now for many months but I again say to anyone who any Australian who is in Lebanon: please leave now.

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Pharmacy closures in England threaten plan to use them instead of GPs for some care

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Closure of hundreds of outlets hitting rural areas, older people and deprived communities hardest, according to Healthwatch England

High street pharmacies are closing at such an alarming rate that it threatens the drive to use them instead of GPs to care for millions of people, the NHS’s patient champion warns today.

A total of 436 community pharmacies in England shut permanently last year and there were also 13,863 temporary closures, which stopped patients from obtaining health advice and medication.

Cheshire and Merseyside ICB saw the most permanent closures last year – 51

The North East and North Cumbria ICB had the highest number of temporary closures – 1,438

The same area also saw the highest number of hours lost to temporary closures – 4,054

And pharmacies in the Norfolk and Waveney ICB area shut temporarily for the longest number of hours on average – 17.48

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Contraceptive pill available over the counter for more women in NSW after ‘huge success’ of trial

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No requirement to go to GP for new prescription for pill, as long as it has been taken for at least two years

More women in New South Wales will have easier access to the oral contraceptive pill as a trial designed to reduce pressure on the state’s healthcare system becomes permanent.

Under the changes, from Saturday women will be able to get a resupply of their pill from a certified pharmacist without needing to go back to the doctor for a new prescription – as long as they have been taking the medication for two years.

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