Health Policy

In January 2026 Iran faced severe protests and a sustained crackdown that pushed medical neutrality to the limit. Across the country, hospitals became zones of danger as security services intensified...

The Waiting Time Action Plan 2026 has been published by the Irish Department of Health and the HSE to cut waiting times for inpatient and outpatient care. It outlines six targets under three themes: r...

Private Healthcare Australia released a report based on a survey of more than 4,000 Australians, including about 2,300 who had recently been referred to a non-GP specialist. The findings show 30% have...

Thriving Kids aims to identify developmental differences earlier and streamline access to supports. It removes the formal diagnosis requirement to access services, and is designed to sit alongside the...

The NSW government has announced 31 finalists for the 2026 NSW Women of the Year Awards, with health professionals featuring strongly across categories. The field spans medical specialists, public hea...

Victoria's government announced that the Virtual Emergency Department will begin offering one-off ADHD prescription refills, including Schedule 8 stimulants, from September. The change aims to reduce...

Victoria will allow virtual emergency department clinicians to issue ADHD medication scripts for patients who already have a diagnosis and a current treatment plan. The script can cover 30 days to six...

Monash University researcher Susan Saldanha led a set of studies on reproductive coercion in general practice. Reproductive coercion is gender based violence that interferes with a person’s control ov...

The Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) has lodged a submission to a Senate inquiry opposing CSIRO job cuts and calling for more funding for the Australian eHealth Research Centre. It argu...

The Australian federal government has unveiled plans to reintroduce a Medicare funded development check for early childhood. It would be the first such item since the Healthy Kids Check ceased in 2014...

A large survey of more than 2,000 primary healthcare nurses by the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association reveals that 29 per cent of general practice nurses do not regularly or often work...

The Australian Medical Association has raised alarm about the power wielded by private health insurers. It says the current regulatory framework lets insurers impose unfair contracts on doctors, which...

A Canberra GP and academic argues that strict emphasis on measurable outcomes in continuing professional development (CPD) for doctors, as pushed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agenc...

Voluntary assisted dying is now legally available in most of Australia and the landscape is shifting toward broader national alignment. The Australian Capital Territory enacted its VAD laws in Novembe...

New Melbourne University research shows preventable deaths from cardiovascular disease are rising in Australia. From 2007 to 2022, premature CVD deaths increased 19% among men and 13% among women, wit...

Australia's Thriving Kids Advisory Group has released a national reform plan for children under nine with developmental delay or autism who have low to moderate support needs. The approach moves away...

The pharmacy at Cohealth’s Collingwood site, located at 365 Hoddle St, closed permanently on Friday 30 January 2026. It had been operated by Integrated Pharmacy Services under John Jackson after Cohea...

Victoria has unveiled a plan to bring general practitioners into ADHD care, joining Queensland in a shift toward GP led management. The state government has allocated 750,000 dollars to fund accredite...

In December the Supreme Court of Queensland, Justice Rebecca Treston, ruled in favour of ophthalmologist Dr David Kitchen. He sued former Professional Services Review director Professor Julie Quinliva...