Health

The latest government alcohol control effort, now a year old, has resulted in a dramatic drop in bottle shop and online transactions, but how much we drink hasn’t gone down by a lot ... Bill Yan, Member for Namatjira and Shadow Minister for Health, says alcohol abuse measures should have received more funding: “We’ve yet to see much of the $250m promised [by the Prime Minister] last year."

Maldon resident and Advanced Life Support paramedic Barry Curtain is one of five Ambulance Victoria workers who have been awarded Ambulance Service Medals, as part of the 2024 national honours list.  The Australian honours list acknowledges Australians for achievements, service and contribution to community above and beyond the call of duty.  

A recent tender by Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) for the provision of medical services at Barham Hospital has gone unawarded, with MLHD stating, “This tender process has now been completed and, as a result, it is not sustainable to continue the provision of medical services in their current format.”

Dr Clare Bottcher has departed the clinic where she has treated local patients for over 26 years. In an emotional farewell with clinic staff, Dr Bottcher recalled her time serving the locals of her own hometown, alongside “great mentors” and “wonderful custodians of this town”.

A good dentist is a valuable asset, especially outside the big cities. It's encouraging to learn that there are bright young dentists in Australia that have discovered that a country practice can offer benefits, professional and personal, over work in the city. Australian Rural & Regional News  asked Dr Parshad Sankey, now in Clare, and Dr Michael Dimitrov, in Gladstone, about their country experience.

Darling Downs Health hospitals will have 58 medical interns begin this month, marking the largest cohort of interns that have started since the program commenced. The 12-month graduate program will see the medical interns experience the demands of urban, rural and remote medicine.

The Local Health Medical Trust and the Barham community are excited to welcome two medical students for the next two weeks ... Having both come from the hustle and bustle of the biggest cities in Australia, Jake and Daniel relish the quieter way of living, with Barham already welcoming them with open arms.

It will see 125 additional paramedics arriving in regional, rural and remote communities by the middle of this year ... These new paramedics will join a cohort of more than 6,700 NSW Ambulance staff who share a commitment to excellence in serving their communities across NSW.

Bruce Stewart. On Christmas Eve, 1906, Reginald Fessenden made the first radio broadcast in history … "A Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord". Luke 2: 11. These are the first words spoken on radio in human history.

Regional and rural Queenslanders are seeking access to voluntary assisted dying (VAD) services at a rate that is almost double their inner-city counterparts – a revelation that should send a shiver down the spine of anyone who cares about the equitable delivery of healthcare, Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter has said.

The State Government’s new health tax is another hit for rural and regional communities, with many GP clinics facing the risk of closure.  Labor recently reclassified tenanted medical professionals as employees, not contractors, for payroll tax. This move has left clinics grappling with debts often in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, as the tax has been backdated up to five years in many instances.

Established in 2013, the Flying Doctor Mobile Eye Care service delivers comprehensive, accessible eye examinations to rural Victorian communities ... Despite the fact that more than 90% of vision impairment is preventable or treatable, missing regular eye health checks or treatment is too often a reality of rural living, and risks more serious future health concerns.  

Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) is once again under the spotlight as the Barham Hospital had been left with no doctors after the contractual arrangement with Ochre Health ran out on November 30 ... Having the multimillion-dollar facility sitting idle due to a bureaucratic standoff has greatly frustrated local doctors and distressed patients seeking treatment.

A spokesperson for NSW Health Infrastructure has revealed planning for the Grafton Base Hospital (GBH) redevelopment is continuing, and confirmed there has been no change to the NSW Government’s $263.8 million investment commitment to improve health outcomes for residents of Grafton and surrounding communities ... following the recent release of the updated Clarence River Flood Model by CVC, there has been an increase in the Probable Maximum Flood Level across Grafton.

It’s been a decade long journey lifting thousands of kilos in the gym and last month Maclean bodybuilder Beccy Pateman achieved her dream when she was crowned overall winner of the Professional Figure category in the Natural Olympia contest, plus overall winner of the Professional Fit Body category at the WNBF World Championships.

Wallaro Hospital should be reclassified to reflect its status as the major hospital in the Yorke and Northern Local Health Network area. That is one of the specific requests in the petition led by Member for Narungga Fraser Ellis calling for better health services in the electorate, which was signed by 10,688 people and presented to the South Australian Parliament in November.

Sixty nurses from the UK and Ireland have been recruited to work in the Northern Rivers ... Indian national Kavitha Mathew will work at Kyogle Multi-Purpose Service ... “I’m very happy to work in Kyogle,” Kavitha said.

The Lighting the Way Ambassadors, selected for their genuine affinity with the Flying Doctor, work within their region to advocate for improved health and wellbeing outcomes for rural and remote Queenslanders ... Established in 1943, the Charleville Base services a waiting room of more than 622,000 square kilometres, connecting the residents of the South-West Queensland region to leading, and often lifesaving, health services.

South Australians living in rural and regional areas will now be eligible for financial support to travel to specialist Prosthetic and Orthotic clinics for health appointments, under an expansion of the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme ... To qualify for this service, people must attend either a public or private hospital or outpatient clinic...

Making scarce and impure bore water in The Centre’s outback fit for use in medical dialysis has earned Alice local Michael C Smith a Distinguished Alumni Award from Flinders University in Adelaide. “I’m proud that one of my designs is working today in Kiwirrkurra, Australia’s most remote Aboriginal community,” says Dr Smith.

New telehealth trolleys, offering greater access to health professionals without the need for travel, have been rolled out across all West Wimmera Health Service’s ten residential aged care facilities ... these trolleys are now being wheeled around our aged care facilities...