Monthly Archives: February 2010

An expert’s tips for getting health inequalities onto the agenda

February 26, 2010 – 9:52 am

Continuing the Croakey series on health inequalities (previous articles here and here), today we’ve asked a health communications expert for some tips on how to get the issue onto the public, policy, political and professional agenda. Dr Mark Ragg, director of Ragg Ahmed, writes: “We’ve all seen, and many of us would have exploited at [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in cancer, child health, health & medical marketing, Health inequalities, public health, tobacco control | Comments (2)

Is the Australian health sector dragging the chain on climate change?

February 26, 2010 – 9:20 am

There are plenty of interesting snippets about the health sector and its role in both contributing to and mitigating carbon emissions in the latest edition of the NSW Public Health Bulletin. The general point is that the Australian health sector, with a few notable exceptions, has not yet started to get its act together in [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in climate change, environmental health, global health, Hospitals, public health | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

A comic tale involving the AMA, the Pharmacy Guild (and no superheroes)…

February 25, 2010 – 10:36 am

KAPOW! WHAM! BAM! That, dear reader, is the comic book image that springs to mind* while observing the recent collision of two of the most powerful lobby groups in the health and medical industry. The AMA took on the Pharmacy Guild with this swift upper cut, calling for doctors to be allowed to own and [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in Australian Medical Association, health reform, pharmacy | Tagged , , , | Comments (6)

A fairer Australia will also help our health: The Smith Family’s Elaine Henry

February 25, 2010 – 9:30 am

In the previous post, Professor Fran Baum argues the case for an Australian Health and Equity Commission to help us move to a more equitable society through healthier public policy. Elaine Henry, CEO of The Smith Family, has added her weight to the call for a broader approach to health that recognises the importance of [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in child health, education, Health inequalities, mental health, public health | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Why we need an Australian Health and Equity Commission: Fran Baum

February 24, 2010 – 12:37 pm

England has had the Marmot Review, which was commissioned to help shape a policy response to the landmark 2008 report from the WHO’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (CSDH). Australia, so far as Croakey knows, has shown no such initiative. Why? And what could we be doing to help redress health inequities? These [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in education, global health, Health inequalities, health reform, public health | Tagged , , , | Comments (8)

Myles Peterson was on the money; the health system has much in common with Alice in Wonderland

February 24, 2010 – 11:45 am

The spilling-the-beans account by a former Department of Health and Ageing employee, Myles Peterson, rang some bells for Shaun Hughston,  Director of Beat Medical, a medical recruitment and locum agency. It also reminded him of a certain tale by Lewis Carroll involving mad hatters and other absurdities. He writes: “If you have experience in healthcare [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in health reform, health workforce, Media-related issues, rural and remote health | Comments (3)

Is anyone else sick of the health conference business?

February 24, 2010 – 11:05 am

Dr Kim Webber, Chief Executive Officer of Rural Health Workforce Australia, has a gripe to get off her chest, and wonders if anyone is suffering from the same affliction. She writes: “Has anyone noticed the huge increase in ‘for profit’ private conferences discussing health care issues?  Every week I am getting information, mainly from Informa [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in health & medical marketing | Tagged , | Comments (2)

Can we blame the latest private health insurance hikes on a “lazy” Government?

February 24, 2010 – 10:03 am

It’s no surprise that private health insurance premiums continue to rise. What is surprising is that more questions aren’t being asked about the merits of such extravagant public subsidy of the PHI industry. As has been said time and time again at Croakey, by a variety of commentators, this is an expensive, ineffective and inequitable [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in health financing and costs, private health insurance | Comments (20)

Vindaloo against Violence and the AFL are doing great work, but more can be done to tackle racism

February 23, 2010 – 11:51 am

It’s time to end the “futile debate” about whether or not Australia has a problem with racism, and to tackle the issue head on. That’s the challenge thrown out by Todd Harper, CEO of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth), to those in leadership positions right across society. He writes: “Thousands of Australians will dine [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in Indigenous health, public health | Comments (2)

Can wind farms make people sick? Simon Chapman investigates

February 23, 2010 – 7:59 am

Simon Chapman, professor of public health at the University of Sydney, has been investigating concerns about the safety of wind farms. He writes: “Last week Kevin Rudd and Peter Garrett were confronted at a Ballarat meeting by angry residents living nearby the Waubra wind farm, 35km north west of Ballarat, run by Acciona.

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in environmental health, public health | Comments (56)