September 2009
Marshall’s edible vaccine Dr Barry Marshall made life simpler for millions when he identified H pylori as the...
LATEST ARTICLES
September 2009
Five Western Australian researchers have received awards of $10,000 each to help meet the infrastructure costs of their research as part of the 2009 New Independent Researcher Infrastructure Support (NIRIS) Awards:
Award recipient Dr Daniel Galvão from Edith Cowan University's School of Exercise, Biomedical, and Health Sciences is looking at how physical exercise can help relieve negative side-effects of hormonal treatment for prostate cancer.
Dr Lynn Meuleners from the Centre for Population Health Research at Curtin University of Technology is investigating crash risk factors...
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August 2009
Ramsay and HBF at loggerheads
Ramsay Health Care, operator of Hollywood, Joondalup, Attadale, and Glengarry private hospitals has withdrawn from negotiations with HBF over fee increases, which HBF claims are too high. The health insurer put pressure on Ramsay through a letter sent to members in July warning of higher admission charges, but when quizzed, an HBF spokesperson confirmed HBF will honour its previous agreement with Ramsay and not charge members default ‘second tier' benefits. The dispute is before the Health Insurance Ombudsman with a resolution expected soon. Stay tuned!
St John review submissions
You've probably seen the Four Corners Report on the alleged systemic failures of St John Ambulance and heard the media and political bluster. St John Ambulance's Medical Director Dr Garry Wilkes gives his perspective on the issue on page 4. Now, Kim Hames is calling for submissions as part of the review into St John's quality and safety (before the government renews their ambulance service contract). The review is to be conducted by Greg Joyce, former Director-General of the Department of Housing and Works and overseen by Dr Simon Towler, the Department of Health's Chief Medical Officer. If interested, send your submissions to Ms Kim Loh, Development Division, Department of Health, PO Box 8172, Perth Business Centre, WA, 6849, or via email to loh.kim@health.wa.gov.au. Hurry, submissions close early August!
Stan and the Medical Board
Doctors may have been worried about where their fees were heading after reading in The West that fraud squad detectives had charged prominent Stamfords accountant Stan Palassis with stealing $80,000 from the WA Medical Board...
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August 2009
Dr Kevin Yuen, while medical director of DonateWest, has been appointed State Director of the new national body for organ donation, the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority.
Mr Edwin Boyd has been appointed as a Director of biotech company Rockeby Biomed.
R&D Neurodiscovery has appointed Mr Harry Karellis as a board member.
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July 2009
No overtime
Junior doctors at Royal Perth Hospital are no longer being paid overtime beyond 38 hours/week under new pay conditions that commenced in June. The State government claims an influx of new doctors into WA means junior doctors won't have as great a burden, while AMA (WA) says junior doctors are being forced to work for free. Who do you believe?
The inside story
A contact at a major national healthcare company revealed to Medical Forum the fascinating ups and downs the economic climate has had on corporate health. Our source said, "Medical tends to be somewhat recession proof, however, some of the GP clinics specialising in travel and industrial health have been hit quite hard. Interestingly, the pharmacy side of our business is growing well. It could be argued that this relates to some people choosing to self diagnose and treat; some GP clinics asking patients to fund woundcare options; and the cost associated with GP treatment (it is cheaper and quicker to ask the pharmacist)."
US military backs Avita
Avita Medical (formerly C3) has been awarded US$1.45m from the US Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM) to...
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July 2009
Dr Peter Goldswain, former clinical lead for the Aged Care Health Network, retired from the public health system in January 2009. He, along with co-lead Gail Milner, led the Network through a consultation and development process which resulted in the production of seven models of care for the older person. Dr Hannah Seymour, a consultant geriatrician, has been appointed clinical advisor to the Aged Care Policy Directorate and Clinical Lead for the Aged Care Health Network. Hannah was formerly the Clinical Co-Lead for the Falls Prevention Health Network, which works closely with the Aged Care Network.
Larry Iffla has been appointed Chairman of the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR), taking over from Dick Lester.
GP Dr Giuseppe Panizza OAM has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (for services to Perth's Italian community) in the Queen's Birthday Honours...
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June 2009
Extended hours money pot Dr Kim Hames, in a moment of ingenuity, has announced the state government...
June 2009
Paul MacLeman has been appointed CEO of DNA testing company Genetic Technologies.
Marcus Chua has stepped down as Company Secretary of medical technology company Medtech.
Biotechnology company Rockeby Biomed has appointed Ivan Chong as Executive Director...
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