Headlines on health

The lion's share of attention this week has been on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, with the federal government announcing cuts that it's estimated will see tens of thousands removed from the scheme. But there have also been developments in aged care too- the federal government has now reversed its policy on the funding for showering after a mass of complaints from residents, families, and advocates.

The federal government has announced a major overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme in efforts to cut down fraud and spending in the $50 billion program. Welcoming some aspects of the reform, disability advocates say there must be further clarity around cuts to support and eligibility, with fears that those in need will lose access to vital supports.

The Federal Government has announced free R-S-V vaccinations for older Australians, in a push to better protect those most at risk from the potentially deadly respiratory virus. The $445 million dollar investment means Australians aged 75 and over - and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 60 and over - will be able to access the immunisation for free from mid May, saving them as much as $300 dollars per vaccination.

Coeliac disease affects one in seventy Australians, according to the Wesley Research Institute. But when food is integral to cultural identity, the impacts of this autoimmune disease — especially on multicultural and diasporic communities in Australia — can extend beyond the physical, affecting mental health. Jude Soussan is a young person of Lebanese heritage in Perth, Western Australia, and has used her diagnosis to help educate others about what it means to live with coeliac disease in the diaspora, using creativity. She hopes that, with time, communities can better understand how to accommodate chronic illness.

A new report has found discrimination against trans and gender-diverse people is widespread, with serious impacts on safety and dignity. Released to coincide with the International Transgender Day of Visibility, it makes key recommendations for governmental reform.

The latest report on Closing the Gap Targets, released last month, found just four of nineteen targets are on track. Among those targets Australia is failing to meet, the country is moving backward when it comes to reducing suicide rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which are now more than three times higher than for non-Indigenous Australians.First Nations health advocates and practitioners are urgently calling for investment in new approaches to preventative mental health support that are led by First Nations wisdom and experience. SBS reporter Angelica Waite, has speaking with Clinton Schultz, a Gomeroi Gamilaroi man, and Director of First Nations Strategy and Partnerships with Black Dog Institute. For more than a decade, he's been a pioneering voice when it comes to finding new models for preventative care that reflect the depth, complexity and connectedness of First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing. She started by asking Mr Schultz how he came to study and work in the field of psychology.

Once confined to bodybuilding forums and elite sports scandals, unapproved peptides have now moved into mainstream wellness and are being marketed online as tools for bio-hacking and longevity. So why are people turning to online communities and influencers for advice, and is there a breakdown in trust for traditional medical pathways?

The latest report on Closing the Gap Targets, released last month, found just four of the nineteen targets are on track. Among those targets Australia is failing to meet, the country is moving backward when it comes to reducing suicide rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people , which are now more than three times higher than for non-Indigenous Australians. First Nations health advocates and practitioners are urgently calling for investment in new approaches to preventative mental health led by First Nations wisdom and experience.

A WARNING THAT THIS STORY MAY BE DISTRESSING FOR SOME LISTENERS: Scotland's Parliament has rejected legislation that would have made Scotland the first part of the United Kingdom to allow terminally ill adults to end their lives. Members of the Edinburgh-based legislature voted 69 to 57 against a bill that would have let people in Scotland with six months or less to live seek help to end their life. The Scottish vote is part of a wider debate across the UK.

For international students studying in Australia, accessing healthcare is often seen as too expensive - or too confusing to navigate. But a new initiative - designed by international students FOR international students - aims to make services easier to find, while breaking down taboos around sexual and mental health.

A WARNING THAT THIS STORY MAY BE DISTRESSING FOR SOME LISTENERS The New South Wales government is investigating the circumstances surrounding the escape of two patients from the same hospital, who days later were allegedly involved in separate incidents where three people died. Mental health professionals say it's again thrown the state's mental health care crisis into the spotlight.

The rise of antibiotic resistance is threatening millions of lives worldwide, but “unconventional” Australian research could make obsolete medications effective again. Data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) has found that some of the most common illnesses in the world are becoming more resistant to treatment every year. Dr Maud Eijkenboom says the current approach of developing new antibiotics is losing the battle against ever-evolving viruses and bacteria. After her son struggled with a resistant disease, Dr Eijkenboom set on her own path to discover a better way eradicate the rising wave of lethal pathogens. In 2021, she founded Lixa, a Perth-based biotech company receiving international support for its “game-changing” research. In this edition of Weekend One on One, she speaks with SBS's Cameron Carr about the impact of her research, and started by explaining what Lixa is all about.

A lot of people already identify or know the problems from smoking and what it can do for your health, but not a lot of people understand that loneliness or social isolation carries around the same health risks of smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Tyler Prochnow is an assistant professor at Texas A&M at their School of Public Health and an expert in social connectedness, physical activity and mental health.

Fodmap, high protein, gluten-free, lowfat, clean eating - so many diets, so much conflicting advice. Australian experts are warning that following multiple diets at the same time could have unexpected consequences.

As with most years, the health sector has been a constant source of news stories - from outbreaks of illnesses to outstanding medical research, from politics to pandemics, from injuries to infections. SBS news looks back at some of the medical stories that hit the news in 2025.

An Australian cancer research centre has been awarded a 2.5 million dollar grant to further their research into one of the country 's deadliest brain cancers. Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne hope to fast-track diagnosis and treatment options.

A new report from UNICEF Australia has found less than a third of Australian teens are feeling excited or hopeful about their futures. Mental health issues and anxiety around 'adult' challenges like housing and money are key drivers of declining wellbeing. For marginalised children and teens, these kind of pressures are felt even more acutely.

Around one in four Australians are failing to seek support when experiencing perinatal mental health issues. Experts say the data released by the Gidget Foundation highlights a lack of awareness around signs and symptoms, and ongoing stigma around the issue.

State premiers have come together for an urgent meeting, as tensions rise over reaching a new public hospital funding deal with the federal government. A new report from the Grattan Institute also finds Australia's hospitals are wasting more than $1 billion a year on avoidable spending.

The Victorian government has released the final report of an inquiry into women's experiences of pain - and it's made for some uncomfortable reading. Shaped by the experiences of 13,000 women and girls, the report has revealed gender health gaps, experiences of medical bias, sexism and misogyny, and feelings of being ignored or dismissed by clinicians are rampant throughout the Victorian health system.