Some Aussies will now be eligible for free lung cancer screenings
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From this week, some Aussies with a history of smoking can access free, lifesaving CT scans to detect lung cancer before symptoms appear. Here's what you need to know to see if you're eligible.
Australia's first new national cancer screening program in almost two decades kicks off this week.
From July 1, Australians with a high risk of developing lung cancer can be screened for the disease free of charge. Lung cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in Australia.
The National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) will offer low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans to people aged 50-70 years who smoke or have a history of smoking and who don't have the symptoms or signs of lung cancer.
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Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
As it happened: Brisbane on Tuesday, July 1
Go to latest Pinned post from 1.30pm Healthcare gets booster shot as pharmacy prescribing laws become permanent By Catherine Strohfeldt Community healthcare access is expanding from today as Queensland's new pharmacy prescribing laws come into effect. The changes remove the need for patients to visit a GP or hospital in some circumstances, instead enabling eligible community pharmacists to treat minor health issues. The services include treatments for ear infections, minor wound care, skin conditions, and reflux. Prescriptions can also be provided and filled for such things as hormonal birth control and hay fever medications. Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Queensland president Chris Owen thanked the government for making the program permanent after its trial ended earlier this year. 'The continuation of these services marks an important shift in how primary health care is delivered in Queensland, making better use of pharmacists' clinical skills, and improving patient access to frontline care,' Owen said. 'Most Australians live within 2.5 kilometres of a community pharmacy, many of which are open after hours or on weekends.' Pharmacists must complete additional training to be eligible for the program. 3.10pm Today's stories Thanks for joining us today for our live coverage of news in Brisbane and beyond. We'll be back tomorrow morning. If you're just catching up, here are some of the big stories that made headlines today. Flights to and from Brisbane have been cancelled or delayed, with 'severe weather' forecast to lash parts of the east coast. The Queensland government will set up a new Treasury Transaction Team to attract private capital to help the government deliver its infrastructure pipeline, the treasurer has announced. The identity of the Melbourne childcare worker charged with more than 70 offences, including child rape, has been revealed, as authorities say 1200 children must get tested for infectious diseases. Videos, police fact sheets and court documents reveal the moments leading up to and after the violent melee that left former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas with a gruesome eye injury. Queensland Maroons coach Billy Slater has confirmed that lingering injury concerns for Reece Walsh had nothing to do with his State of Origin omission in favour of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. Healthcare gets booster shot as pharmacy prescribing laws become permanent By Catherine Strohfeldt Community healthcare access is expanding from today as Queensland's new pharmacy prescribing laws come into effect. The changes remove the need for patients to visit a GP or hospital in some circumstances, instead enabling eligible community pharmacists to treat minor health issues. The services include treatments for ear infections, minor wound care, skin conditions, and reflux. Prescriptions can also be provided and filled for such things as hormonal birth control and hay fever medications. Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Queensland president Chris Owen thanked the government for making the program permanent after its trial ended earlier this year. 'The continuation of these services marks an important shift in how primary health care is delivered in Queensland, making better use of pharmacists' clinical skills, and improving patient access to frontline care,' Owen said. 'Most Australians live within 2.5 kilometres of a community pharmacy, many of which are open after hours or on weekends.'
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
As it happened: Brisbane on Tuesday, July 1
Go to latest Pinned post from 1.30pm Healthcare gets booster shot as pharmacy prescribing laws become permanent By Catherine Strohfeldt Community healthcare access is expanding from today as Queensland's new pharmacy prescribing laws come into effect. The changes remove the need for patients to visit a GP or hospital in some circumstances, instead enabling eligible community pharmacists to treat minor health issues. The services include treatments for ear infections, minor wound care, skin conditions, and reflux. Prescriptions can also be provided and filled for such things as hormonal birth control and hay fever medications. Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Queensland president Chris Owen thanked the government for making the program permanent after its trial ended earlier this year. 'The continuation of these services marks an important shift in how primary health care is delivered in Queensland, making better use of pharmacists' clinical skills, and improving patient access to frontline care,' Owen said. 'Most Australians live within 2.5 kilometres of a community pharmacy, many of which are open after hours or on weekends.' Pharmacists must complete additional training to be eligible for the program. 3.10pm Today's stories Thanks for joining us today for our live coverage of news in Brisbane and beyond. We'll be back tomorrow morning. If you're just catching up, here are some of the big stories that made headlines today. Flights to and from Brisbane have been cancelled or delayed, with 'severe weather' forecast to lash parts of the east coast. The Queensland government will set up a new Treasury Transaction Team to attract private capital to help the government deliver its infrastructure pipeline, the treasurer has announced. The identity of the Melbourne childcare worker charged with more than 70 offences, including child rape, has been revealed, as authorities say 1200 children must get tested for infectious diseases. Videos, police fact sheets and court documents reveal the moments leading up to and after the violent melee that left former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas with a gruesome eye injury. Queensland Maroons coach Billy Slater has confirmed that lingering injury concerns for Reece Walsh had nothing to do with his State of Origin omission in favour of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. Healthcare gets booster shot as pharmacy prescribing laws become permanent By Catherine Strohfeldt Community healthcare access is expanding from today as Queensland's new pharmacy prescribing laws come into effect. The changes remove the need for patients to visit a GP or hospital in some circumstances, instead enabling eligible community pharmacists to treat minor health issues. The services include treatments for ear infections, minor wound care, skin conditions, and reflux. Prescriptions can also be provided and filled for such things as hormonal birth control and hay fever medications. Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Queensland president Chris Owen thanked the government for making the program permanent after its trial ended earlier this year. 'The continuation of these services marks an important shift in how primary health care is delivered in Queensland, making better use of pharmacists' clinical skills, and improving patient access to frontline care,' Owen said. 'Most Australians live within 2.5 kilometres of a community pharmacy, many of which are open after hours or on weekends.'
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Prescription drug overdoses driving death toll
Isabella Higgins: In just one year, more than 2,000 Australians died of a drug overdose. Most were unintentional deaths. That's the stark headline figure of new analysis being released this week looking into drug-induced deaths. And advocates say illegal drugs aren't the only problem. Here's National Health Equity reporter, Caitlyn Gribbin. Caitlyn Gribbin: There's a stereotype about drug-related deaths that John Ryan wants to put a stop to. John Ryan : That idea that it's only illegal drugs is wrong. The overdose toll is actually made up of some people that inject drugs, definitely, but much of the overdose toll is people that are using pharmaceutical drugs, prescription drugs. Caitlyn Gribbin: John Ryan's the chief executive of the Penington Institute, a not-for-profit drug research group. It's released new research revealing 189 fatal overdoses every four weeks. Proof, Mr Ryan insists, that a new approach is needed to deal with dangerous drug use. John Ryan : We're losing the equivalent of a Boeing 737 full of Australians every month. The overdose toll has long exceeded the road toll. Caitlyn Gribbin: Early analysis of the report breaks down the most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data on drug-induced deaths, which is from 2023. Overdose deaths were down 6% on the previous year, but John Ryan says figures will increase when ABS data revisions come in. The numbers are confronting, with nearly 2,300 people dying of a drug overdose. More than three-quarters were unintentional deaths. Opioids such as heroin and pharmaceutical opioids remain the most common drug type involved in unintentional deaths, contributing to almost half. But the proportion of drug-related fatalities involving stimulants such as methamphetamine and also cocaine increased on previous years. Amanda Roxburgh : Australia is a major destination for methamphetamine. We've got high numbers of large seizures being detected at our borders. Caitlyn Gribbin: Amanda Roxburgh, a senior research fellow and clinical psychologist at medical research organisation the Burnet Institute, says the highly potent crystal methamphetamine is the predominant stimulant drug now being used in Australia. Amanda Roxburgh : We're not only seeing increases in deaths related to methamphetamine, but we're also seeing increases in methamphetamine-related hospitalisations. So it's relatively cheap to buy and it's really readily available. Caitlyn Gribbin: The Penington analysis also found drug-induced deaths involving stimulants overtook benzodiazepines like Valium as the second most common drug type involved in fatal overdoses. Most drug overdoses are polysubstance overdoses. They involve more than one drug. John Ryan says pharmaceutical opioids such as codeine and oxycodone and those from the benzodiazepine family such as diazepam or Valium are commonly involved in overdose deaths. John Ryan : The daughter of a friend of mine who went through a messy divorce ended up on benzodiazepines to manage the stress and anxiety and one night drank a bit more red wine than normal, fell asleep on the couch and was found dead the next day. An absolutely tragic example of a middle-aged woman with two young children who died from a combination of prescribed pharmaceuticals and alcohol. Most of these deaths are occurring in private homes and often it's lounge rooms in suburbia and regional and rural towns. Caitlyn Gribbin: Mr Ryan says only a small amount of funding goes to harm reduction such as overdose education, the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, drug testing and safe injecting facilities. A much bigger share goes to law enforcement. The full overdose report will be out this year. Isabella Higgins: Caitlin Gribbin reporting. In a statement the Federal Department of Health says the National Drug Strategy provides a commitment to harm minimisation through a balanced adoption of evidence-based demand, supply and harm reduction strategies.
