Another election promise broken
Another election promise broken
MARK METHERELL HEALTH CORRESPONDENT
March 11, 2010
THE Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, now seems unlikely to meet another big election pledge – to introduce a national dental scheme.
The scheme was to have delivered a million services to Australians in urgent need of treatment.
The Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, has blamed the Coalition for ”blocking” the necessary legislation in the Senate.
But sources have told the Herald that the government and opposition came close to agreement for an expanded scheme. Negotiations stalled over a relatively minor issue concerning measures to curb rorting.
How food and water are drivng a 21 st-century African land grab
How food and water are driving a 21st-century African land grab
An Observer investigation reveals how rich countries faced by a global food shortage now farm an area double the size of the UK to guarantee supplies for their citizens
-
- The Observer, Sunday 7 March 2010
- Article history
A woman tends vegetables at a giant Saudi-financed farm in Ethiopia.
We turned off the main road to Awassa, talked our way past security guards and drove a mile across empty land before we found what will soon be Ethiopia‘s largest greenhouse. Nestling below an escarpment of the Rift Valley, the development is far from finished, but the plastic and steel structure already stretches over 20 hectares – the size of 20 football pitches.
The farm manager shows us millions of tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables being grown in 500m rows in computer controlled conditions. Spanish engineers are building the steel structure, Dutch technology minimises water use from two bore-holes and 1,000 women pick and pack 50 tonnes of food a day. Within 24 hours, it has been driven 200 miles to Addis Ababa and flown 1,000 miles to the shops and restaurants of Dubai, Jeddah and elsewhere in the Middle East.
Ancient tradition of water purification could save lives
Ancient tradition of water purification could save lives Ecologist 5th March, 2010 Thousand-year-old Indian method of using tree seeds to purify water should be used more widely for tackling waterborne diseases Indian tree seeds that purify water could dramatically reduce disease in the less-industrialised world, say researchers. The technique of crushing seeds from Continue Reading →
PM stakes his reputation on big-bang health reform
PM stakes his reputation on big-bang health reform
- From: The Australian
- March 04, 2010
- 137 comments
THE Prime Minister has produced big-bang reform on health funding that is tailor-made for an election campaign and designed to switch attention from his current political difficulties over the bungled $2.45 billion roofing scheme and broken election promises.
Kevin Rudd has committed his government to funding 60 per cent of public hospitals direct to local community boards via a grab for 30 per cent of the states’ GST revenue.
He’s promising that new accountability and national performance benchmarks will deliver the changes voters want to surgical waiting lists, doctor and nurse shortages, waiting times for emergency treatment and availability of medical care outside hospitals.
It’s also designed to end the blame game between the federal and state governments over health funding.
Once again Rudd has put himself at risk by staking his reputation on a proposal that is going to be difficult to get past the states, has fallen behind his own schedule of election promises, is a complicated process, carries a huge price tag and is arm’s length from addressing the real problems voters experience every day.
Crop scientists discover fungi alternative to pesticides
Crop scientists discover fungi alternative to pesticides Ecologist 3rd March, 2010 Study identifies naturally occurring alternatives for controlling wireworm, a widespread potato pest in the UK Farmers may soon have a non-chemical pesticide for controlling the damaging potato pest, wireworm, after scientists at Swansea University identified a fungal alternative. The wireworm, the larvae of click Continue Reading →
The death knell for small hospitals
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- March 04, 2010
- 30 comments
Professor Bob Farnsworth, chair of the Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service’s health advisory council, said Mr Rudd’s reforms were “appalling” and “potentially a disaster” for NSW.
“It is taking healthcare in NSW back 20 years,” said Professor Farnsworth, who is also the director of surgery at Prince of Wales Hospital.
“This was a great opportunity to come up with a logical, efficient and effective single-funding system for healthcare. Some of our hospitals will struggle to operate under case mix funding. All our small regional hospitals are very much at risk.”