Healthcare
Blanket ban urged for controversial medical device
Thousands of Australians have received a device meant to ease chronic pain. Private health insurers say there is ample evidence it can do more harm than good for many of them.
- by Liam Mannix
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Healthcare
Review considers crackdown on ‘Wild West’ of online sperm donation
A rapid review of Australia’s fertility sector will consider the regulation of sperm and egg donation across clinics, online groups and apps.
- by Henrietta Cook
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Healthcare
The sperm donor loophole that led to 27 half-siblings
Andrew Veitch donated sperm to 15 women he met through donor-matching social media, creating 27 half-siblings. Much to the shock of their mothers, many of those children live within a few kilometres of each other.
- by Henrietta Cook
Migraines, nerve damage: The Australians poisoned by over-the-counter vitamins
Wellness giant Blackmores is the target of looming legal action over supplements containing a vitamin linked to symptoms including nerve damage, twitches and migraines.
- by Angus Thomson
These spinal devices cost more than $50,000. A new study found they come with serious risks
An alien device resides under Marcus Barlow’s skin. Its metal wiring runs up and down his back, intertwining with delicate nerves.
- by Liam Mannix
Craig was treated for a bat bite. He died eight months later
Health authorities are investigating the “breakthrough” infection that led to Ballina tradie Craig Nolte’s death – NSW’s first from the rare bat lyssavirus.
- by Angus Thomson
IVF nurses walk off the job at Queensland clinics
Staff unhappy with the company’s pay offer also say it is refusing to give Queensland nurses the same allowances their interstate counterparts enjoy.
- by Courtney Kruk and Catherine Strohfeldt
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Healthcare
‘We wouldn’t let a dog go through this’: The state wouldn’t help him die, so Glenn stopped eating
After being rejected from the state’s voluntary assisted dying scheme, Glenn Mack decided to stop eating and drinking. He’s not the only one.
- by Henrietta Cook
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Healthcare
A half-match transplant was Ismaeel’s only option. His parents jumped at it – they had been here before
A shortage of bone marrow donors is causing problems for Australians, particularly those from diverse backgrounds.
- by Penry Buckley
‘I was freaking out’: Doctor defends caustic comments on Erin Patterson
Complaints have flooded in about a Gippsland doctor who testified in Erin Patterson’s triple-murder trial, after his later comments made headlines.
- by Cassandra Morgan
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Cardiovascular health
Michael thought he was just getting old. A world-first device changed his life
An Australian hospital has become the first in the world to implant a revolutionary device considered a “quantum leap” in preventing deaths from heart failure.
- by Angus Thomson
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/healthcare