Category Archives: education

What are the health implications of building more prisons?

May 16, 2012 – 1:51 pm

Update, May 22: Extra material has been added at the bottom of this post about an assessment of the likely impact of a new correctional facility in Gatton, Queensland. *** Health journalists (and our audiences) might get better stories come budget time if we looked beyond the health department papers. That is one of the [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in evidence-based issues, Federal Budget 2012-2013, health impact assessment, Health inequalities, Hospitals, illicit drugs, Indigenous health, public health, social determinants of health | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

The Ministerial reshuffle and health: plus analysis of Roxon’s tenure and advice to Plibersek

December 13, 2011 – 1:18 pm

Much of the post-shuffle focus in health has been on the new Minister, Tanya Plibersek (The Australian has her prioritising dental reform, while the Sydney Morning Herald has her bedding down the health reform agenda). But let’s not forget that many portfolios are important for health (some of which are mentioned at the bottom of [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in cancer, child health, childbirth and maternity services, dental care, disabilities, e-health, general practice, health reform, Indigenous health, Medicare Locals, mental health, NHMRC, pharmacy, prevention, primary health care, private health insurance, public health, social determinants of health, TGA, tobacco control | Tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

So we now have another international declaration on the social determinants of health. What difference will it make (or not)?

November 2, 2011 – 7:41 pm

The best and the worst of global health politics were on show at the recent international conference on the social determinants of health in Rio, Brazil. That is according to one of the Australian participants at the conference, Professor Sharon Friel, an ARC Future Fellow at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, the [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in environmental health, global health, public health, social determinants of health | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Advanced Health Research Centres – what can they offer Australia?

September 21, 2011 – 3:57 pm

Croakey strongly believes that the best health care occurs when it is informed by rigorous research and that the best research is that which is informed by clinical practice.  However, bringing these two often disparate worlds together is  a continual challenge in the Australian health care environment. A new proposal, modelled on a successful UK [...]

By Jennifer Doggett | Also posted in health and medical education, health and medical research, health financing and costs, health workforce, Hospitals, medical education, NHMRC, primary health care, The Conversation | Comments (0)

Collaborating to promote new approaches to pain management

September 6, 2011 – 1:07 pm

Anyone wondering what Medicare Locals are getting up to will be interested in this contribution from Scott White, Communications Manager, Hunter Medicare Local. He writes… As the new Medicare Local in the Hunter begins, one of the most frequent questions being asked by  primary health clinicians is “what exactly will the Medicare Local do?”.  If [...]

By Jennifer Doggett | Also posted in consumer health information, general practice, Medicare Locals, primary health care | Comments (4)

It’s time for a Senate inquiry into the social determinants of health

May 17, 2011 – 12:15 pm

Finally, perhaps some of the rhetoric about the importance of “whole-of-government” approaches in health is going to be put into action. The recent budget announcements on mental health – with the new National Mental Health Commission to be based in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet – have been welcomed as a step in [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in child health, Federal Budget 2011, Health inequalities, public health, social determinants of health, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (4)

Hospital chief says Medicare Locals must focus beyond health services

February 28, 2011 – 12:04 pm

In part four of a Croakey series analysing the plans for Medicare Locals, Martin Laverty, ceo of Catholic Health Australia, argues that the new organisations must broaden their vision beyond health services if they are to maximise their impact upon the community’s health and to address health inequities. Martin Laverty  writes: Last year before a [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in childbirth and maternity services, health reform, Hospitals, prevention, primary health care, social determinants of health | Comments (0)

Are health inequalities unjust? Some varying perspectives…

February 10, 2011 – 11:28 am

Professor Angus Deaton, Professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University, has recently published an essay that is well worth a read, titled: What does the empirical evidence tell us about the injustice of health inequalities? He concludes: Health inequalities are a matter of great moral concern. But whether we see them as an [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in child health, global health, Health inequalities, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)

At the end of a disastrous week, a feel-good Friday moment about an organisation doing good work

February 4, 2011 – 1:53 pm

What a hell of a week it’s been. Disasters and suffering almost everywhere you look, from north Queensland to Egypt and beyond. Croakey feels the need for a feel-good Friday moment. Thanks to Rebecca Gordon, a consultant at RaggAhmed, for providing a spot of cheering news about an organisation doing good work. Sharing health information [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in consumer health information, global health, Health inequalities, health workforce, primary health care, social determinants of health, Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Should you have to be wealthy to be healthy?

September 27, 2010 – 8:23 am

Indigenous health and the impact of disadvantage upon health are among the issues high on the agenda of the Public Health Association of Australia’s annual conference, which kicks off in Adelaide today. Meanwhile, a new report also aims to put the spotlight on the social determinants of health. It was undertaken by the researchers from [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in health reform, Hospitals, Indigenous health, prevention, public health, rural and remote health, social determinants of health | Tagged , , | Comments (7)