Health Policy

In the 12 months since Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions went from 20 back to 10, young Australians have suffered detrimental impacts to their mental health.

Advertisements for collarium sun bed sessions are popping up across the country, but an expert says "there is absolutely no doubt that collariums are in fact solariums" that have been banned in Australia since 2015.

Many online have lambasted Poonam Pandey for her fake death while attempting to raise awareness for cervical cancer. But some women say she shocked people enough to make them talk about the disease and even consider getting tested. 

Australia's medical regulation system claims to prioritise public safety, but often falls short of public expectations. That might be about to change.

Hearing "slip, slop, slap" and "no hat, no play" in childhood hasn't kept today's teens and young adults out of the sun. But there is hope social media campaigns can change attitudes about tanning.

The former head of medical services at a major Tasmanian hospital allegedly falsified medical certificates of death, a registered nurse and midwife tells a parliamentary committee.

A man still grieving the loss of his mother in January says Tasmanian ambulance paramedics had to ask him to provide blankets and pillows to transport her safely and comfortably — meanwhile, an inquiry into the service hears apologies over long wait times and inadequate care.

Harry was 10 when clenching his fists during karate classes became difficult. But the real turning point came when he asked his mum and dad to stop hugging him because it hurt too much.

South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has always been a politician in a hurry. But now he's calling for time and patience from the public to deliver his platform.

The South Australian government said ramping increased to 3,960 hours outside emergency departments last month, an increase from December's 3,595 hours.

The data show free appointments have risen – especially in areas with historically low rates of bulk billing.

Tasmania's EPA has ordered a north Tasmanian scrap metal facility to immediately stop using a metal shredder after "elevated levels of lead" were found in the dust it produced. 

A year after voluntary assisted dying came into effect in South Australia, families of some of the 110 people who have opted to take that path describe their experiences.

We ask people for their experiences of Tasmania's ailing health system and hear of misdiagnoses, long waits for treatment or, worse still, no treatment at all. But we also receive some good reports.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) has seized more than 13 tonnes of disposable vapes in Adelaide in what the federal government says is the first large-scale bust since new laws took effect this year.

A senior Tasmanian ambulance dispatcher tells of a night when emergency calls piled up and there were no available paramedics to send. "I did my best."

Contaminated mulch containing asbestos has been found in Sydney's inner west and western suburbs after first being discovered in Rozelle Parklands. How worried should people be about this substance?

A veteran GP says he is scrambling to keep his outback Queensland clinic working, as calls grow for an urgent fix to staff shortages.

With one in seven Australian women likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, concern is growing about the wait times for diagnostic mammograms around the country.

Graphic anti-smoking advertisements on television remain in the minds of Australians and were successful in lowering smoking rates. But campaigns around the risks of vaping might not be hitting home with many young people, a researcher says.

The South Australian Ambulance Service has defended its response time after a grandmother with cancer and in "extreme agony" was left waiting for paramedics last year.

Health officials in Indonesia are carrying out a mass immunisation drive after 11 cases of polio were detected on the country's main island.

Over the past five years, 136 people died in Tasmanian hospitals in the 24 hours after being "ramped", a parliamentary inquiry has been told. But the Health Department warns against drawing conclusions.

The comedian has a 97-per cent chance of contracting cancer, but taking a genetic test to shed more light on the risk could ruin her chances to obtain life insurance.

The family of a man shot dead by police in New South Wales say they understand the actions taken by officers, but the incident exposes a failure within the systems designed to support people with mental illness.