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Healthcare

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Payments for COVID vaccine injuries are ending. Patients want that changed

Payments for COVID vaccine injuries are ending. Patients want that changed

A UNSW analysis suggests many types of injury were not covered by the complicated scheme, which is set to close next month.

  • by Mary Ward

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Polly never suffered from asthma – then a clap of thunder left her gasping for air

Polly never suffered from asthma – then a clap of thunder left her gasping for air

Melburnians dreading pollen season may be able to breathe a sigh of relief, with dry conditions and low rainfall likely to lead to a shorter, less-intense event.

  • by Melissa Cunningham
Ambulance Victoria chief executive resigns amid industrial dispute

Ambulance Victoria chief executive resigns amid industrial dispute

Paramedics recently passed a vote of no-confidence in the troubled emergency service’s leadership.

  • by Jewel Topsfield, Lachlan Abbott and Rachel Eddie
Patients told to drink water as hospitals ration IV drips
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Healthcare

Patients told to drink water as hospitals ration IV drips

An internal Victorian Department of Health document calls on health services to conserve 14 intravenous fluid products at risk of shortages.

  • by Henrietta Cook and Jewel Topsfield
The tradie who accidentally shot himself in the heart with a nail gun and lived to tell the tale

The tradie who accidentally shot himself in the heart with a nail gun and lived to tell the tale

Mark Hardeman considers himself lucky to have a “second chance at life” after a 7.5-centimetre projectile struck his right ventricle.

  • by Carolyn Webb
The moment Jim closed his eyes – and exposed Ambulance Victoria’s ‘festering sore’

The moment Jim closed his eyes – and exposed Ambulance Victoria’s ‘festering sore’

After an 18½ hour shift, Jim Avard had a terrible accident. His experience became a lightning rod for paramedics in a dispute that threatens to engulf the ambulance service.

  • by Jewel Topsfield and Henrietta Cook
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How Tom walked away from knee pain without expensive surgery
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Healthcare

How Tom walked away from knee pain without expensive surgery

An orthopaedic surgeon is talking patients out of operating on their knees and his diagnosis leaves them shocked.

  • by Kate Aubusson and Liam Mannix
Too old to push: Record rate of NSW women having caesarean births
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Healthcare

Too old to push: Record rate of NSW women having caesarean births

Rates are rapidly increasing in private and public hospital across NSW, as older mothers opt to have fewer children.

  • by Mary Ward
Funding cut leading to ‘totally preventable’ strokes, heart attacks, GPs say

Funding cut leading to ‘totally preventable’ strokes, heart attacks, GPs say

GPs say vulnerable people are being priced out of important heart health checks. A departmental advisory committee is reviewing the impact of the decision.

  • by Mary Ward
Why unions believe Victoria’s hospital shake-up was a missed opportunity

Why unions believe Victoria’s hospital shake-up was a missed opportunity

Health unions have been advocating hospital amalgamations for years to improve patient care. They say Victoria made a mistake.

  • by Henrietta Cook and Kieran Rooney
When Ollie took a pill, he didn’t realise it would be a ‘never-ending trip’

When Ollie took a pill, he didn’t realise it would be a ‘never-ending trip’

From medical trials to magic mushrooms, psychedelics are back in the spotlight. But for those with the little-known condition HPPD, the side effects never end.

  • by Tim Elliott