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.
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.
After-hours services facing ‘day of reckoning’ The RACGP has welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to launch an investigation into after-hours medical services following News Corp reports it is using unqualified doctors to treat patients.
Advocating for better heart health RACGP President Dr Bastian Seidel has called on federal decision-makers to reconsider the direction of healthcare funding for cardiovascular disease (CVD), a major cause of death in Australia that kills one person every 12 minutes.
Sports and mental health The bracingly honest words from 25-year-old AFL footballer Alex Fasolo about his struggles with depression have highlighted the fact issues of mental health can affect anyone, even professional athletes who are often revered as near-gods.
Dementia death rates rising Dementia is now the leading cause of death among women in Australia, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This is a significant development given ischemic heart disease has previously been the leading cause of death for both sexes in Australia since the early part of last century.