VA Hospital Counter

[2] Community Update

Book Review

1. Biology of life span: A quantitative approach
    By Leonid A Gavrilov and Natalia S Gavrilova (eds) VP Skulachev, Harwood Academic Publishers, 1991

This work, which is translated from the original Russian, summarises the significant facts and theories concerning the finite life span. It takes an interdisciplinary approach based on the quantitative analysis of survival regularities both in human populations and in animal models. Questions considered include whether life span is programmed or not, whether there is an absolute upper limit to the duration of life, the relative role of social and biological factors, why women live longer than men, and prospects for, and ways of prolonging, the life span.

Professor Nathan Keyfitz of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria, in his review says Gavrilov makes the best attempt I know of to distinguish how long people could live from how long they actually live -- one of the more difficult tasks for both biology and statistics... Gavrilov's scholarship is impressive. Keyfitz, Mathematical Population Studies, 1991, Vol 3, No 2, p.161.

Research Reports

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released two new dental reports:

1. Water fluoridation and children's dental health: the child dental health survey, Australia 2002
This publication by the AIHW Dental Statistics and Research Unit presents the results of The Child Dental Health Survey, Australia 2002 and examines the differences in oral health of children residing in areas of different concentration of fluoride in the public water supply. The findings demonstrate that decay experience differs across areas of different water fluoride concentration, with children residing in areas with water fluoridation having better oral health than children residing in areas with no or negligible fluoride concentrations in the public water. The publication also reveals the state of oral health in Australia's school-age children, including age-specific and age-standardised measures of dental decay experience within each state and territory, and national estimates of these measures for 2002.

Australian children experience low levels of dental decay compared to their international counterparts. However, a minority of children still experience extensive decay and carry most of the burden of this disease. Information regarding children's oral health can serve as a guide for policy development in order to further improve the oral health of, and service delivery to, Australian children.

2. Geographic distribution of the Australian dental labour force, 2003
Geographic distribution of the Australian dental labour force 2003 presents results from the 2003 National Dental Labourforce Data Collection. The collection includes all dentists, dental therapists, dental hygienists and dental prosthetists across Australia. This publication presents the overall numbers and the practice status of the dental labour-force in each State and Territory, across geographic remoteness regions and nationally. Other statistics describe the demographic distribution, area and type of practice and the usual hours worked per week of the four dental occupational groups. Where possible, the results are compared with those from previous dental labour force collections.


NEWS

1. Helping close the gap through innovative home visit program
Health Minister Nicola Roxon last month (January 2008) launched a program for nurses to visit Indigenous children and their families at their homes to ensure they get the support they need earlier.

Professor David Olds, the US-based architect of this revolutionary program, was present for the launch.

Australia is only the second country (after the United Kingdom) given permission to use this program. This is an important part of the Government's commitment to closing the 17-year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people within a generation.

This program, along with our other programs that are part of the government's $260 million down-payment on Indigenous women's and children's health, will help ensure that Indigenous children are healthy, happy and ready to learn. It is aimed at giving Indigenous children a healthier start in life through ongoing home visits.

The program will be based on the Nurse Family Partnership, pioneered in the United States by Professor Olds, Director of the Prevention Research Centre for Family and Child Health at the University of Colorado, USA. The Nurse Family Partnership has produced impressive short- and long-term benefits for children and their families and has been proven to improve the health, welfare and life choices of both mothers and their children.

Results have shown that children who receive the nurse visits have improved birth weights, cognitive ability and school readiness. Mothers smoke less, have increased intervals between births and have improved parental skills. They also use community services more effectively and are more likely to hold jobs.

Originally designed for first-time, financially-disadvantaged mothers, the Nurse Family Partnership will be adapted here to reflect the Australian health care system and the geographic and cultural diversity across Indigenous communities.

Most current home visiting programs in Australia provide only a single visit, often by a volunteer rather than a trained health professional. This new program is different - it will provide structured, sustained home visiting by skilled health professionals, starting from pregnancy and continuing through to the child's second birthday. In the long-term, the program aims to provide home visits to children up to the age of eight.

Professor Olds is currently in Australia for talks with the Government and Indigenous stakeholders about the introduction of this scheme. He is also meeting with key academics and health practitioners in the child and maternal health fields and visiting Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory as well as Queensland.

In the initial stage, the program will establish up to ten sites across Australia that will be funded under the Government's initiative Directions: an equal start in life for Indigenous children. Approximately 1,900 families will receive support, over five years, through both the New Directions and Health@Home Plus initiatives.

Consultations will soon commence on a wider roll-out of Indigenous mums and bubs program to enhance this intensive home visiting service.

Source: http://www.health.gov.au/

2. Expansion of Medicare-eligible MRI services
The Australian Government on 12 February 2008 confirmed the locations for the 2007-08 expansion of Medicare-eligible Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) services.

MRI uses strong magnetic fields to generate images to assist in diagnosing illnesses. It is especially effective on soft tissue, making it important for diseases such as cancer and strokes. The 15 locations are:

NSW: Bankstown, Maitland-Newcastle-Hunter (replacing the previous Newcastle-Hunter location), Sutherland Shire, Wollongong Hospital;

VIC: Clayton-Oakleigh, Inner Melbourne;

QLD: Bundaberg, Cairns Base Hospital (replacing the previous Cairns location), Rockhampton Hospital;

SA: Morphett Vale, Port Augusta;

WA: Armadale, Joondalup; and

TAS: North-West Tasmania, Launceston General Hospital.

These locations take into account those announced in 2007 by the previous Government. In addition, it recognises that patients and communities value access to affordable MRI services. Therefore, expanding Medicare-eligible MRI services will improve access to this important diagnostic tool for many communities.

The Department of Health and Ageing is moving forward with the various application and direct listing processes for the confirmed locations. Where appropriate, the processes commenced by the previous government will be continued.

Further announcements about the outcomes of individual application and direct listing processes will be made by the Government as each is finalised.

Source: http://www.health.gov.au

3. New changes to Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in 2008
People with pleural mesothelioma, eye conditions, those who want to stop smoking, and infants with chest infections will benefit from changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) that commenced last month (January 2008).

The listing of pemetrexed disodium (Alimta) in combination with the drug cisplatin has been extended to include the treatment of pleural mesothelioma. About 300 patients are expected to use pemetrexed disodium each year, at a cost of around $26 million to the PBS and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) between 2007-08 to 2010-11.

This is an important announcement, coming after the tireless campaigning of Bernie Banton, who recently passed away. Bernie was a great Australian hero, and it is due to his efforts that many people will understand the significance of this decision.

Vaxigrip junior is a new form of influenza vaccine suitable for children up to 35 months of age who are at risk of adverse consequences from lower respiratory tract infections (chest infections). This will provide doctors with a more convenient form of influenza vaccine for young children.

From 1 January 2008, optometrists authorised to prescribe certain preparations under State or Territory legislation will be able to apply to Medicare Australia for approval to prescribe a limited list of PBS eye medicines. This initiative will cost about $10.7 million over four years. It will improve access to eye treatments for many Australians, particularly concession card holders and people in rural areas.

The addition of varenicline (Champix) will help people who want to stop smoking. This is a new smoking cessation therapy treatment, which assists in reducing the craving and withdrawal symptoms that happen when a person gives up smoking. It is expected around 195,000 people will use varenicline in the first year of listing, at an additional cost to the PBS and RPBS of around $76.3 million over four years to 2010-11.

Further information about medicines subsidised by the Australian Government through the PBS is available at www.pbs.gov.au

Monika Bhatia
Editor, Health and Ageing

22 Februry 2008