Health
Dozens of countries have slapped a sugar tax on junk food. But Australia is split on the decision
Taxing drinks based on their sugar content would force manufacturers to make their products healthier, a parliamentary report argues. Some are not so convinced.
- by Angus Thomson
Latest
Mental health programs in firing line of hospital budget cuts
As hospitals continue to search for savings, Victorian mental health programs, including those for children, could be hit with redundancies and hiring freezes.
- by Kieran Rooney and Rachel Eddie
Cocaine sold in Melbourne contains opioid 100 times more potent than heroin
Victoria’s Health Department has warned that a white powder sold as cocaine contains a potentially lethal opioid that has caused “recent serious harms in Melbourne”.
- by Lachlan Abbott
Coming to a hospital near you: People to be filmed in bodycam trial
Health Minister Ryan Park, announcing the plan to give security guards body-worn cameras, said the upwards trend in physical attacks was unacceptable.
- by Christopher Harris
Is walking the answer to back pain? A new study says yes
Experts have found that walking can be very effective for preventing reoccurring of back pain.
- by Talya Minsberg
Luca is a teacher in a skills crisis, but his HIV means he’s not allowed to stay
The Italian national has the skills the country needs, but he says he has been barred from permanent residency by a discriminatory policy.
- by Angus Thompson
Narelle watched her husband die a painful death, so she chose hers
Since NSW became the last state in Australia to offer voluntary assisted dying in November, hundreds of people have applied. These are some of their stories.
- by Angus Thomson
Australia’s cocaine use is soaring. Why?
Australia, it seems, is awash with cocaine, despite its high price and record police hauls – not to mention hospitalisations and deaths.
- by Tim Elliott
‘Streamline that spending’: Hospitals told to cut back where they can
The health minister’s comments come after two of Victoria’s largest health services imposed immediate hiring freezes in response to the government’s demand for savings.
- by Broede Carmody
Vapes to be sold behind the counter under watered-down ban
The last-minute changes have provoked the fury of pharmacists, who said they were healthcare professionals and not tobacconists.
- by Paul Sakkal and Natassia Chrysanthos
Original URL: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/topic/health-hq3