A substance used by athletes could be the key to a healthy birth weight for babies? It's a novel theory that has found some solid footing in Australian research published today. 

The charging practices of specialist doctors indicate that the market lacks transparency.

The family of the baby boy who died after being given the wrong gas at a Sydney hospital is deeply distressed by the systemic failures revealed by an investigation into the shocking incident.

• EXCLUSIVE

The cluster of recent NSW hospital scandals have severely damaged the public's perception of the state's health system, an exclusive poll reveals

Dr Kathleen McNamee has thought a lot about what it means to be an "abortion doctor".

The federal government was quick to identify someone to blame about the brief failure of the online census, but has barely acknowledged the extended – and more disruptive – failure of the NDIS system, a leading disability advocate said.

A new genetic test could see thousands of Australian women with early-stage breast cancer safely avoid chemotherapy, a landmark trial shows.

A prominent Melbourne cancer clinic is being investigated for alleged Medicare fraud and potentially ripping off state government hospital funding.

Girls enrolled in the Virtual Infant Parenting Program were twice as likely to give birth in their teens than girls who who had no intervention.

Doctors working in the public system should be banned from refusing to perform certain procedures, such as abortions, because of their religious beliefs, a leading bioethicist will argue in Brisbane next week.

Photographer Andrew Chapman, himself an organ transplant recipient, was given access to document the full gamut of an organ donation case.

Why do we spend one-third of our lives with our eyes closed? A new study might provide an answer.

The medical workforce has become skewed to specialist doctors while the number of general practitioners has barely changed in 10 years, in a trend that threatens to undermine the federal government's push for better primary care.

Dr Google is poaching patients from flesh and blood GPs, with three out of five Australians turning to the internet to avoid seeing a health professional, a new survey suggests.

Three major Melbourne hospitals have replaced heart surgery equipment after it was found to be contaminated with a harmful bacterium that has caused infections for dozens of patients across the world.

Health officials are investigating an outbreak of a rare and potentially serious infectious disease among meat workers in Melbourne's western suburbs.

A new report confirms what many cancer researchers have known - that an “epidemic” can be traced to overdiagnosis.

A rare infection risk has prompted NSW health authorities to replace cardiac surgery equipment at four Sydney hospitals and advise open heart surgery patients to consult their doctors.

They're often the cherry on top of costly policies, but extras such as dental, optical and massage are often unused.

A mother finally has her daughter back after her descent into a decade of drug addiction, sparked by a prescribed pain killer.

An expensive breakthrough drug that prevents people from getting HIV won't be funded by tanxpayers in Australia this year, the nation's drug funding panel has ruled.

One of the most catastrophic types of stroke is easily preventable.

Concerns that Ada and other apps may falsely reassure people about their health or alarm them unnecessarily.

Health insurance policyholders are paying huge premiums but receiving less back on each dollar, latest industry figures show

NSW health authorities are warning of a meningococcal outbreak after five cases were reported in the past week, as the peak season for the disease approaches.

A new study is hoping to find out what pushes parents to risk prosecution to treat their child's epilepsy with cannabis.

Poor doctors will be rooted out and "remediated" under a proposal by the health regulator to raise the competence of medical practitioners.

Heather Irvine has tried just about everything to lose weight. Since the age of 12, she's done Weight Watchers, drank protein shakes, ordered Lite n' Easy and paid for personal coaching. 

A spike in emergency admissions for influenza has signalled that the flu season is gathering pace, with a strain that is tearing through aged care centres.