HEALTHMonitor produced by Media Monitors ACT Pty Ltd distributed by Health Communication Network Limited Issue No. 1024 - Thursday, August 19, 1999 PRINT MEDIA SUMMARY THE AUSTRALIAN John Kerin p3 Hospitals could be rated by results. AMA national president David Brand has rejected a recommendation from the Federal Government inquiry into health safety that hospitals provide patients with report cards on their performance in an attempt to reduce death and injury rates. (HM190800) Belinda Hickman p3 Health insurance industry on mend. Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor�s analysis of the Australian private health insurance industry has predicted the sector will break even in 1998-99, despite finding that most funds have lost up to 20 per cent of their capital reserves since 1996. (HM190801) Ciaran Murphy p36 Business awake to society�s needs. AIDS Council of NSW chief executive Robert Griew has welcomed the increased support of AIDS-based charities by corporate philanthropy and warned against the growing community perception that medical advances have reduced the disease�s incidence and effects. (HM190802) Janice M.P. p37 Vital partnerships glue society. Profile of Witham Philanthropy Australia, the national association that represents leading grant-making private, family and corporate trusts and foundations, that contribute more than $1 billion a year to the community. (HM190803) THE FINANCIAL REVIEW Jane Boyle p3 Merger epidemic forecast for health funds. Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor�s has forecast that difficult trading conditions will trigger widespread mergers in Australia�s private health insurance industry over the next 18 months, potentially reducing their number from 44 to 22. (HM190804) Sue Mitchell and p23 Rothmans sure of merger gains. Australian tobacco Mathew Carr firms Rothmans Holdings and W.D. & H.O. Wills Holdings yesterday gained the approval of shareholders for their proposed merger, which is part of the global merger between their US and British parent companies. (HM190805) THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD Lauren Martin p4 Labor welfare plan a lesson for parents. Federal Shadow Family and Community Services Minister Wayne Swan will today release a policy requiring families with children considered at-risk to undertake parenting skills courses before being granted welfare benefits. (HM190806) THE AGE Garry Barker pA4 A brave new world? Money is the key, says the brains trust. A gathering of scientists at the Melbourne Convention Centre yesterday heard that a lack of support for science and technology from government and industry was endangering the nation�s future well being. (HM190807) Chloe Saltau pA5 A bunch of ways to help the flowering of cancer research. Profile of Daffodil Day, the Anti- Cancer Council�s main fund-raising activity for research to be held tomorrow, and eight-year-old Terri Goodwin, who suffers from the rare cancer anaplastic astro cytoma. (HM190808) Victoria Button pA6 Dispute sparked inquiry. Federal Health Minister Michael Wooldridge claimed yesterday the failure of State and Territory leaders to agree on a plan for health reform at last month�s Leader�s Forum was behind their push for an inquiry into the national health system. (HM190809) Emma Quayle pA8 Father tells of drug loneliness. The father of a 23-year-old overdose victim yesterday told the Melbourne Coroner�s Court that many young students from rural areas turned to drug abuse, not being aware of the health risks, in an attempt to alleviate loneliness and alienation. (HM190810) Victoria Button pA8 Effects of bone drug hailed in study. Results from a three-year study into the drug raloxifene, published in this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, indicate that it significantly reduces the incidence of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. (HM190811) THE CANBERRA TIMES Jim Dickins p4 Patient death: hospital criticised. The ACT Coroner�s Court heard yesterday that an internal review into the suicide of a mentally ill patient at Canberra Hospital attacked the practice of assessing at-risk patients in the emergency department before assigning them to the psychiatric ward. (HM190812) THE COURIER MAIL Gordon Collie p1 Hidden genes in everyday food. Woolworths Qld and Ali Lawlor general manager Bernie Brookes yesterday told a CSIRO briefing that more than 60 per cent of food on the State�s supermarket shelves potentially contained genetically modified ingredients. (HM190813) ADELAIDE ADVERTISER David Eccles p14 The cost of feeling like a new man. Adelaide resident Rod Evans is to take the Federal Government to the Equal Opportunity Commission, alleging that its refusal to subsidise hormone- replacement therapy for men aged under 40 represents age discrimination. (HM190814) Barry Hailstone p15 Health group keeps losses under control. Healthscope managing director Bruce Dixon yesterday told the SA Parliament Public Works Committee that the company had no plans to scrap its management contract with Modbury Public Hospital, despite the facilities persistent insolvency. (HM190815) Annabel Crabb p21 Fears of doctor exodus over tax. SA Salaried Medical Offices Association industrial officer Michael Girmes has warned doctors will abandon the public hospital system if the Federal Government proceeds with tax reforms aimed at significantly curtailing salary packaging. (HM190816) THE HERALD SUN Tanya Taylor p2 Brain cancer cure saves young lives. The Royal Children�s Hospital yesterday confirmed that its trial of new aggressive chemotherapy, involving stem cell transplants, for the common childhood bran cancer medulloblastoma, had resulted in a 90 per cent cure rate. (HM190817) THE HOBART MERCURY p13 Doctors� FBT row will miss Tasmania. AMA Tas president Bryan Walpole said yesterday that plans by the Federal Government to cut public hospital doctor�s salaries by 20 per cent, through fringe benefits tax reform, would not affect the State as salary packaging was non-existent in the Tas health system. (HM190818) Sean Stevenson p7 Battle of new jungles. Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia Tas vice-president Danny Johnson used yesterday�s Vietnam Veterans Day to warn that many veterans are still not seeking help for their conflict-related health and social problems. (HM190819) Eve Lamb p13 New code aims to cut baby injuries. Kidsafe will today launch the new nationwide Safebaby Code, which applies to the design of nursery furniture, with the regulations aimed at reducing the estimated 100,000 child injuries that occur each year. (HM190820) Eve Lamb p15 Health centre may get GP. Tas Health and Human Services Minister Judy Jackson has confirmed the State Government is considering reinstating a doctor at the Rokeby Community Health Centre following a prolonged protest campaign by local residents. (HM190821) MAJOR MEDIA RELEASES Australian New approach to protect public from exposure to Communications EMR. The Australian Communications Authority Authority 18/8 outlines its approach to the regulation of human exposure to electromagnetic radiation. (HM190822) Deafness Forum of 3 million hearing impaired denied disability Australia 18/8 access. The Deafness Forum of Australia has criticised the lack of support being provided for the hearing impaired by governments and the business community. (HM190823) Federal Health and Health Minister launches healthcare reform Aged Care Minister package. Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Michael Wooldridge Michael Wooldridge launches three health care 18/8 initiatives undertaken by Victorian and New South Wales GP�s. (HM190824) CSIRO 18/8 Gene technology briefing for Queensland parliamentarians. The CSIRO comments on the contribution of gene technology to Australian living in the 21st century. (HM190825) ELECTRONIC MEDIA SUMMARY 2CN 0900 18/8 Tough on drugs for $250 per school. Australian Council of State Schools Organisations president Ian Morgan claims the $2.5 million allocated by the Federal Government for its �tough on drugs� programs works out to be $250.00 per school across Australia. Morgan says any program needs to provide students with balanced information on the health, behavioural effects and legal consequences of drugs. He also addresses the politicisation of the drugs issue. (Dur:06:00) (HM190826) 2RN 0600 18/8 Low sulphur a greater risk for health. Qld University of Technology pollution monitoring standards professor Lydia Moroska claims new medical research reveals that ultra low sulphur diesel could be more dangerous than existing diesel compounds as it contains ultra fine particles, which penetrate more deeply and lodge in the lungs and lymph system. (Dur:06:00) (HM190827) 2NC 1730 18/8 Cure for the cold molecule. Newcastle medical researcher Darren Schaffron claims to have discovered a method of preventing common cold molecules from adhering to human cells that could also be beneficial for the treatment of asthma. Schaffron�s funding has come from the Hunter Medical Research Group, established by the Hunter Area Health Service, and is encouraging internationally recognised research (Dur:07:00) (HM190828) OTHER PRINT ARTICLES 19/8 Australian Pratt�s caring is one out of the box p37 19/8 Financial Health funds are getting sicker p56 Review 19/8 Sydney Morning Ailing health funds to be cut by half p3 Herald 19/8 Sydney Morning One fat lady who knew how to live p17 Herald 19/8 The Age Survey finds acute nurse shortage pA2 19/8 The Age More strife for health funds pA6 19/8 The Age No HIV tests on pregnant women pA14 19/8 The Age Tobacco merger approved pC6 19/8 Daily Telegraph Policy on drugs �a failure� p7 19/8 Daily Telegraph Dealer alert p17 19/8 Advertiser Disease kills girl p11 (Adelaide) 19/8 Advertiser Talks on closing ward at QEH p15 (Adelaide) 19/8 Advertiser Letter to Editor p16 (Adelaide) 19/8 Advertiser Letter to Editor p17 (Adelaide) 19/8 Advertiser Letter to Editor p17 (Adelaide) 19/8 Advertiser Improved access for disabled urged p23 (Adelaide) 19/8 Herald Sun Health funds� woes p10 17/8 NT News Help addicts beat the problem p11 17/8 The Examiner Talks on medical gap urged p5 17/8 The Examiner Auxiliary is ready to face new Toosey p22 funding challenge 16/8 The Examiner Health department resignations queried p6 16/8 The Examiner East Coasters have a word with ministers p5 HEALTHMonitor is produced by Josh Whittington Transcripts, clippings, video and audio tapes, further information. 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