This week's top health stories

PM proposes incentive bonuses for efficient hospitals

AM - 11/03/2010
The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has released more information about his health and hospital plan. He has told a meeting of the AMA that his blueprint will provide cash bonuses for hospitals that out-perform new national benchmarks to cut waiting times in emergency departments and for elective surgery.

Kidney Health Australia calls for more preventative care

The World Today - 10/03/2010
Kidney Health Australia has delivered a wish list to the Federal Government that calls for increased support services for people who have to undergo dialysis. They're also calling for a renewed focus on early detection and intervention, so that fewer people would need dialysis in the first place.

Govt to try again on private health after Senate rebuff

AM - 10/03/2010
The Finance Minister, Lindsay Tanner, denies the Government has a strategy problem in dealing with the Senate despite its latest rejection of Government legislation. The Upper House has again blocked the means test of private health insurance, turning it into a double dissolution election trigger.

Teen sterilisation ruling sparks ethics debate

PM - 09/03/2010
The Family Court has granted permission to a couple who want to have a hysterectomy performed on their profoundly disabled daughter. The family and their doctors told the Family Court that the girl suffers Rett Syndrome and her periods trigger epileptic attacks. Disability activists are split over whether a hysterectomy would improve her quality of life.

Vitamin D linked to body's immune system

The World Today - 09/03/2010
New research from the University of Copenhagen has shown that vitamin D plays a significant role in activating t-cells, which are part of the body's immune system. Experts say they're concerned that as many as a quarter of Australians are vitamin D deficient.

Medical graduates to miss out on internships

The World Today - 09/03/2010
Hundreds of medical students may be prevented from qualifying as doctors due to a looming shortage of training places. Deans of the nation's medical schools say there won't be enough intern places for all graduates within a few years if state and federal governments don't increase the number of places.

Obama ups the ante on healthcare plan

The World Today - 09/03/2010
President Barack Obama is trying to put pressure on the US Congress to pass his healthcare legislation before he leaves Washington next week for Indonesia and Australia. Today, he's attacking health insurance companies in a bid to build public support, but his health policy is still dividing Americans.

Tailored diet may slow down DNA damage

Science Online - 09/03/2010
Mounting evidence on the effect of micronutrients on DNA damage calls for a re-evaluation of recommended dietary intake values, say researchers.

Home owners could face criminal liability for injured workers

AM - 09/03/2010
Home owners are being warned to make sure their property is safe before engaging tradespeople. A leading workplace health and safety lawyer says home owners will soon be facing a possible six year jail sentence if a worker is injured or killed on their property. The warning comes as a Sydney home owner faces a $70,000 compensation bill for the death of an electrician working on his home.

Scientists get a taste for a new sense

The World Today - 08/03/2010
Humans have long been thought to be able to distinguish five different basic flavours. But Researchers from Deakin University now say they've found another one: fat. And they say this could lead to the production of foods that fool the body into thinking it's had its fill of fat.