more_vert
Patel patients consider class action
FORMER patients of disgraced surgeon Jayant Patel are considering a class action against Queensland Health, the Queensland Medical Board and senior Queensland bureaucrats. Former patients, their supporters and legal advisors met last week in Bundaberg to push for fair compensation, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Patel was sentenced earlier this month to seven years jail on charges of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm.
Hospitals Association says reform timelines unrealistic
THE AUSTRALIAN Healthcare and Hospitals Association is warning the government’s timeline for health reforms is unrealistic and lacks transparency.
The organisation has expressed concerns the planned roll-out involved no consultation or consumer involvement, The Australian reported.
The association has raised particular concerns about the introduction of reporting systems and the readiness of hospital IT systems to cope with new reporting systems.
French doctors perform first full face transplant
A PATIENT who received the first face transplant to include tear ducts and eyelids is doing well, according to a report from Agence France-Presse.
The 35-year-old man had the 12-hour operation in France last week for Proteus syndrome, The Australian reported.
Mahjong a DVT risk
THE FIRST case of deep vein thrombosis linked to playing 8 hours of uninterrupted mahjong has been reported in a letter to The Lancet.
The case involved a 40-year-old woman who played the game for eight hours, her only known risk factor being that she was taking contraceptive pills.
According to a report in the New York Times, the woman had played the game so intently that she had only had a small quantity of soft drink over the course of the game.
RACGP cuts deal with Telstra
THE ROYAL Australian College of General Practitioners has signed a memorandum of understanding with Telstra which will see a number of communication services, diagnostic tools and healthcare applications made available to GPs from July 2011.
The secure web-hosting technology will allow GPs to access a range of clinical applications wherever they need to work and represent the first step in the development of a national e-health record system, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Australian of the year: set targets to cut suicide rate
AUSTRALIAN of the year Patrick McGorry has told the National Press Club that the new Prime Minister should correct the Rudd government error and make mental health funding part of the health reform agenda, according to an ABC report.
In The Australian, he has called on the government to set national suicide prevention targets, and for an end to what he calls the “apartheid” that exists between people with physical and mental health problems.