Category Archives: dental care

More on Dr Coca-Cola

October 23, 2009 – 9:48 am

For those who’ve been following the Croakey debate on the “healthy” rebranding of soft drinks, here’s an interesting story from the LA Times health blog following up the implications of health and medical organisations taking funding from soft drink companies and other vested interests.
It turns out the doctors aren’t the only ones taking Coca-Cola’s money. [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Food, health & medical marketing, public health | Comments (0)

Advice to the sick and poor: be afraid, very afraid of this brand of health reform

July 28, 2009 – 1:32 pm

Fiona Armstrong, a health policy advisor and longstanding advocate of health reform, is deeply disappointed by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report. She writes:
“The NHHRC report is not only a missed opportunity to create a system that will address equity and  efficiency in the current system – instead its proposals threaten both.
Of course [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Indigenous health, health reform, primary health care, private health insurance | Tagged , | Comments (1)

A quick guide to the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report

July 27, 2009 – 2:21 pm

You can read the report in all its detail here, but in the meantime, here is a quick summary.
The executive summary identifies several priorities, including:
Indigenous health
• Establish a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Authority to buy services and to hold services accountable
• Strengthen community controlled health services, develop Indigenous health workforce and upskill [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in health reform, mental health | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Some reading you mustn’t miss

May 19, 2009 – 9:46 am

While the front pages and buckets of airtime are being devoured by the question of whether the wealthy should have to pay more for their private health insurance, there are other, far more important things that you could be reading about.
The 18 May edition of the Medical Journal of Australia is devoted to Indigenous health,  [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Food, Health inequalities, Hospitals, Indigenous health, Journal articles, Media-related issues, childbirth and maternity services, chronic diseases, prevention, private health insurance, public health, rural and remote health | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (2)

The retrospectoscope and the prostate

March 26, 2009 – 1:01 pm

Unlike most diagnostic tests, the retrospectoscope is universally reliable, even in the hands of a journalist like myself.
With the benefit of the retrospectoscope, it now seems so obvious. What were we thinking, expecting that there suddenly would be miraculous clarity around the vexed issue of prostate cancer screening, just because some randomised controlled trials were [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in cancer, consumer health information, evidence-based issues | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (4)

NHHRC report wimps out: Ian McAuley

February 16, 2009 – 3:05 pm

Ian McAuley, health economist, Centre for Policy Development and University of Canberra, critiques the interim report of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, released today:
Although some of its ideas such as a Commonwealth takeover of primary care and the “Denticare” scheme have attracted publicity, it is a timidly-written document, ducking the big issues we [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Hospitals, health reform, private health insurance | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

We need a fairer health system says public hospitals boss

February 3, 2009 – 10:11 am

Prue Power, Executive Director, Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association, adds to the debate about health inequalities:
“As the peak national body for public health services, including public hospitals, the AHHA has a strong commitment to equity within our health system.
While Australia’s health system performs well compared with many other countries, in terms of equity of access, [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Health inequalities, Hospitals, Indigenous health, health reform, rural and remote health | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)