Tobacco tax hiked to stamp out vaping and smoking

Revenue from a federal budget hike in tobacco taxes will go towards programs to reduce smoking rates and vaping.

Surgery patients sent home with too many opioids

A study has found patients undergoing common surgical procedures are often sent home with too much opioid medication.

One in three Victorian ambulances taking too long

Ambulance response times continue to lag in Victoria, with new data showing it takes more than 15 minutes to respond to one in three Code One incident...

NSW hospital workers stop work in push for wage rise

Workers at a NSW hospital will walk off the job in a push to get the Minns government to deliver on a promise to scrap the public sector wage cap.

'This must end': Radical plan to stop children vaping

Hundreds of millions of dollars will be thrown at cracking down on the "number one" behavioural issue in Australian high schools among teens.

Pharmacists to give more vaccine jabs in SA

The South Australian government has approved moves to allow pharmacists to administer an expanded range of vaccines.

WA commits $420m to modernise mental health care

The WA government will boost the mental health budget by many millions to modernise patient care and expand services.

WA health budget boost to clear emergency departments

The WA government will boost the health budget by $75 million in a bid to reduce pressure on hospital emergency departments and ambulance ramping.

NT govt pumping millions into health service upgrades

Budget funding for a new health centre and bereavement facility have been announced by the NT government along with upgrades to services and medical e...

Older Australians 'risking untreated osteoporosis'

More than 40 per cent of Australians aged 70 and over have never had a bone density scan despite the risk of osteoporosis to the age group, a survey r...

Funding to scale-up mRNA vaccine production in SA

The South Australian and federal governments have provided $10 million to increase mRNA vaccine and therapeutic drug production at an Adelaide facilit...

Big post-pandemic baby study to tackle health issues

More than 90,000 babies will take part in a world-first study examining the first post-COVID-19 generation, to improve health outcomes for young Victo...

Free flu jabs offered in WA ahead of winter

The Western Australian government will run a one-month program of free flu vaccinations ahead of winter.

Calls to reinstate telehealth, a lifeline in the bush

Doctors want the government to reinstate Medicare items for long telephone consultations in the budget, saying rural and vulnerable patients are left...

Injecting rooms cut crime, overdoses, abscesses: study

Drug users who inject under medical supervision are less likely to overdose or commit crime, a study shows, as authorities weigh up a second Melbourne...

Sunflower lanyard to help those with hidden disability

Wearing a sunflower lanyard could give commuters with a hidden disability the confidence to navigate the complexities of the NSW train system.

A look inside Melbourne's supervised injecting facility

Officially about 60 lives have been saved at Melbourne's controversial safe injecting room but workers say that number doesn't fully capture its achie...

Faster detection of dangerous pregnancy condition

A test has been developed which can detect in 15 minutes the difficult to diagnose and life-threatening pregnancy complication of preeclampsia.

Couple add gift of life to wedding day celebrations

A Sydney couple celebrated their wedding day with a life-saving twist, becoming the first bridal party to add blood donations to their special day.

Health groups hit out at millions in flagged cuts

Community health groups have hit out at flagged funding cuts to preventative programs in Victoria but the government says it's reducing funding "doubl...