Recent Medical News
The Doctor Is In (But Shouldn't Be)
By By Pauline W. Chen, M.D.
First published in The New York Times Online, October 14th 2010.
One winter toward the end of my training, I came down with a cold. At first, the constant coughing and runny nose made me miserable; then they became tiring. To decrease the chances of spreading my germs, I had to tie on a mask every time I came into contact with patients, wash my hands so frequently my skin became raw and wipe down the phone receivers with alcohol when I answered a page... Read the article
Push to recruit medical workers paying off
By Adam Cresswell
First published in The Australian Newspaper online, October 13th 2010.
EFFORTS to ease the shortage of medical staff are starting to bear fruit, with the number of doctors employed rising by nearly a fifth between 2004 and 2008. Figures published today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show there were 68,689 employed doctors in 2008, with all but 4600 in clinical roles. That compares with 58,211 working doctors in 2004, an increase of 18 per cent in four years... Read the article
Cancer therapy kits spark debate
By Karen Dearne
First published in The Australian Newspaper online, October 09th 2010.
MARK Lawrence had a simple question for Health Minister Nicola Roxon. "If a male relative had prostate cancer and the treatment he chose was low-dose rate brachytherapy [an implant of tiny radioactive 'seeds'], would you expect that the Therapeutic Goods Administration had reviewed the manufacturing, assembly and sterility of the product?"... Read the article
