Is it too easy to get a prescription for medicinal cannabis?
There are concerns people are getting their hands on medicinal cannabis to treat conditions where there's very little evidence of benefit — and the possibility of harm.
Also, why weight loss drugs could improve treatment for people with schizophrenia. The full breadth of corporate ownership of radiology clinics is revealed.
And what questions need to be asked with IVF in the spotlight, as Monash IVF deals with the fallout from a second bungled embryo transfer.
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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Swan Hill community raises $2.6 million for new MRI machine
A community in Victoria's north-west has rallied to raise $2.6 million to help fund a new medical imaging machine for its local hospital. For the 21,000 people living in Swan Hill, the nearest magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner is two hours away in Bendigo. But that could change from next year after a community fundraising campaign prompted hundreds of donations and completed the hospital's fundraising target of $2.6 million to buy the machine. Ainsley O'Bryan, who runs a caravan park in Swan Hill, said an MRI scan three years ago was the key to doctors identifying a tumour on her spinal cord. But the diagnosis was expensive and took hours of travel. "If we had that [MRI machine] in town [the tumour], would have been diagnosed a lot sooner," Ms O'Bryan said. "I wouldn't have had to take days off work, I wouldn't have had to find babysitters for my children. "Having to pay for petrol and accommodation … it really adds up." Ms O'Bryan said she and her husband had a combined total of seven MRI scans in the past five years, all of which involved travel of between three and four hours one way to Ballarat or Melbourne. Mallee MRI Appeal organiser Paula Starrs said starting the fundraiser was "personal". "One of my family members needed an MRI and I was just surprised how hard it was to access one," Ms Starrs said. "It wasn't life threatening, [but] I started thinking if it was, it's pretty scary to think how our town just didn't have this service available." At the time she started the appeal, the hospital had put aside $1.4 million for the machine, $1 million of which had come from a local bequest. "The hospital can't really approach the community [to raise funds], but volunteers can," Ms Starrs said. "I made a few calls to the hospital and said, 'How much money do you have, how much do you need?' and then some friends got together over some drinks … and we formed the MRI appeal pretty much straight away." She said the number of people who donated was "too many to count", and almost every business in the town had made a contribution. "I think we're all just walking around on cloud nine," she said. "We just didn't anticipate it would come this quickly, so the hospital is very excited. The staff were excited." Volunteers at the Swan Hill Neighbourhood House provide transport for residents needing medical treatments elsewhere. The fundraising team said up to 70 Swan Hill residents needed to access MRI scans each week. Volunteer driver Dianne James said having a machine locally would help remove financial and travel barriers for many elderly residents. "A lot of them, their health is not 100 per cent," she said. "A lot of the time they don't have family or friends who can help them out at that particular time, for one reason or another." Ms James said she knew of patients who were forced to push critical scans back by weeks because travelling long distances wasn't possible while they were in poor health. "With a local machine, they can be in and out within an hour or so and go home and rest," Ms James said. Swan Hill District Health interim chief executive Chloe Keogh said she was overwhelmed by the community support. "I've got a lot of gratitude for just how this donation has occurred in such a short amount of time," she said. The hospital is midway through a state-funded $65 million redevelopment, including the construction of a radiology area. Ms Keogh said the hospital would need to apply for additional state government funding to 'fit out' the radiology area, which she hoped would include an x-ray machine and a CT scanner. Ms Keogh said the hospital had workers with the skills to operate the MRI machine and she expected it to be operational running by mid-2026. The ABC asked the Victorian Health Department why it did not fund the MRI machine for Swan Hill hospital and whether the government would provide funding to complete the planned radiology room. The department declined to comment.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Brisbane refugee healthcare service World Wellness Group is at risk of losing its home base again
Like so many refugees, the story of how Elham Zaki came to live in Australia is punctuated by dark chapters. WARNING: This story contains distressing content. She's been subject to horrors that are difficult to put into words: organ harvesting, attempted murder, rape, abuse and half a lifetime of fear. In 2013, when she was working at a refugee camp on the Libya-Egypt border, a brush with death led the United Nations to rule it was no longer safe for her to stay, and she had to seek asylum. "Some people poisoned me and tried to kill me and [that's when I was taken in] an ambulance to Cairo [and then sent to Australia]," she said. The suffering Ms Zaki endured, both before and after she arrived in Australia, took its toll. She experienced debilitating physical and mental health issues which were so severe she could barely move or talk. She refused to venture outside for years, fearing the world and people around her. "I feared that people were going to beat me, do something bad. I was scared of any man," she said. She was referred to a clinic in Brisbane's south — the World Wellness Group. The not-for-profit, social enterprise healthcare service is a one-stop-shop for both medical and holistic support services. There, Ms Zaki was able to get treatment from physiotherapists, general practitioners, support groups and mental health specialists. The clinic also became her safe space. She remembered an occasion when she said she hadn't eaten a proper meal in two days and her GP gave her some food from the community pantry. "Before, [I was] very sad all the time, crying and I think [I don't know how I can get better]," she said. "But after I came here for the first time, I thought [I can]." World Wellness Group co-founder and director Rita Prasad-Ildes said she saw clients like Ms Zaki several times a day. "It's really proven to us that this is the way we can work with population groups that are constantly falling through the gaps and have a lot of access barriers," she said. But the clinic is facing an uncertain road ahead as the building it's been operating out of for less than a year is up for sale. Ms Prasad-Idles said if they were forced to relocate again — in what would be the fifth time in 10 years — they'd struggle to find another base. "We have really been priced out of commercial rentals," she said. She said the organisation would only be able to afford a clinical building in the outer suburbs, potentially forcing their booming clientele base — which, on average, currently travels more than 20km to see them — to travel further for the care they so desperately need. The organisation has been rallying to raise funds to buy the space themselves, but they're currently $600,000 short of the $4 million needed. The group had quietly raised more than $3.4 million over the past year, all while dealing with ever-growing demand for its services. Now, the July 31 deadline they've been given before the building hits the market is looming. Ms Prasad-Idles said the crowdfunding operation was about the survival and sustainability of the clinic, and their ability to continue helping more than 3,400 patients. "It isn't really about a building; it's about having a space — an anchor," she said. "Our whole work team here — we're all migrants. I think the migration journey is always about finding a home, and this is our home." Ms Zaki said she owed her life to the organisation. After years of living in fear and solitude, and months of mental health treatment, Ms Zaki said she had finally been able to go outside — a small victory in the wake of devastating trauma. But more than going outside, she's now started a Master of Public Health at University and is an avid volunteer in her community.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Mum, 62, reveals how she lost incredible 30kg after her weight hit 119kgs
Welcome to You Got This, weekly fitness series featuring stories and ideas from real women who've experienced it all. A woman has revealed how she lost more than 30kg after years of being in physical and mental pain. Robyn Stronach weight had increase to 119kg and her body was struggling. She was regularly experiencing shortness of breath and her mental health was detoriating. She was also battling with metabolic syndrome, failed gastric sleeve surgery and a strong family history of heart disease. Mrs Stronach, from Queensland, was a borderline diabetic heading towards an early death as her cholesterol rose. 'I would stress eat anything and everything — and not three meals a day,' she told 'It was all day. As sad as it sounds, I was a bottomless pit. I thought I was feeling happy when I ate. Little did I realise it was making me miserable.' At the age of 59, she decided she desperately needed to lower her weight and improve her fitness. She'd always been someone who didn't like mixed gender gyms and felt embarrassed to go. Her daughter insisted she come along to F45 Ormeau with her and her niece, something she said was 'so hard' at her age. 'There were two trainers I will always hold close to my heart. They encouraged me to the point that I tell everyone they saved my life,' she said. 'They always encouraged and supported me, in general they were just my super heroes.' After countless hours in the gym, Ms Stronach lost 31kg and improved her physical and mental health. She did this while working full time in a hospital, being her mum's carer, looking after her husband who has cancer and being a mum and grandmother to nine children. 'My daughter and I get up most mornings at 3.50am to be at the 4.30am class,' she said. 'If I can't make that class due to work or other obligations, I then go later in the day. I try really hard to complete five days a week minimum.' She says her journey is still ongoing and praised her trainers for her results so far. 'I realised through F45 that age is not a limitation,' she said. 'There are some things I just can't do — like box jumps due to a degenerate lower back but I don't let this stop me. I modify my exercises to suit my old injuries and new. I forget my age and go too far,' she said. Mrs Stronach also said she does her best to encourage new members, paying forward the encouragement given to her. 'My goal next year is to do a Hyrox challenge. That is where my son comes in with his energy and encouragement. I have just started running. I want to be a good role model for my grandchildren who can see their grandmother fit and healthy.'
